When you're Gurglin...When you're Gurglin...

[Tailing Loop]

a mile from home. A MILE FROM HOME[excited]

Good for your Chris. Sounds like a great way to start the day.

[Porkchunker]

Chris,

After the tiefest, I tied up a bunch of gurglers in various colors. Can't wait to get out from under all my work and home committments and try them out.

Porkchunker

[stripermd]

You dirty dog that is one nice fish[grin][excited][excited]

[paxfish]

Hey Bill - the only thing I do different on the Gurgler, than any other retrieve, is to extend the thumb on my stripping hand. Brady Bounds didn't use that fly, but recommended that retrieve to me on any surface fly.

That was 5 years ago, and I still use that method. He claimed it doubled the speed of the strip.

Also - We do a pop and swap - I can chuck a Skitter Pop 200 feet to bring 'em in to range. Fly rod at the ready in the barrel to shoot, or your buddy is shooting. On my boat, an assist counts as much as a catch!

In this case I was only 70 feet from shore, so P-n-S not necessary....

[Salmo trutta]

I tried one for the first time this weekend at Roosevelt Inlet from the kayak. I had a good rip, perfect shallow structure near deep water and didn't get jack. Put on a still water popper on the spinning rod and bang! First cast!

Those gurglers are small. The ones I bought from Winchester Creek were anyway, and the one I saw you demonstrate with at fly fest.

I was surprised there wasn't much "popping" action. I was using an intermediate line so maybe it was nose diving too much. Plus I was drifting so fast it was difficult to get a good strip. I'll keep trying because trebble hooks are not as much fun as a single hook and oh yea, action on the fly rod.

[paxfish]

Yep - They're small and can throw a disproportionate bow wave - I throw them on floating line. Intermediate pulls them down too much. Flouro leader is OK for a slight downward pull. And try the sharp crack on the strip with your thumb extended.

Being small is key. You'll find that a rockfish will "kick" a big popper several times trying to stun it, whereas on the smaller Gurgler, they take it first hit.

Sometimes from above....

So far, I also caught smallmouth, largemouth, bluegill (#4 version), bluefish as well. Capt Dan took one down to Florida and was catchuing snook on them - now he ties them for his clients.....

[Shortylong01]

Pax.... could you explain "extending the thumb" on the stripping hand ? I am having a hard time picturing it....

(I am not the brightest bulb in the box...) [grin][grin] Thanks

[paxfish]

Maybe - Instead of pinching the line between your index finger and the tip of your thumb, pinch lower down your thumb and let the line run up your thumb. This makes about a 3" lever on the strip and accelerates your pop.

[DF]

Just to add a bit more clarification to the thumb thing...at the end of the strip, snap that line wrist down, just like the power snap on your casting hand. You'll also get a better pop out of a Gurgler (any surface fly, really) if you tighten the line a bit before accelerating it for the pop..that is, don't let it sit still for 30 seconds while the line and leader sink, then try for a pop at the start. The angle works against you. Instead, a straight line connection caused by starting the retrieve before initiating the first pop will give a better result. Jack Gartside told me that he designed the fly for the Int. line, but obviously, it can be used on either an F or Int. I prefer the F line because I usually have one rod dedicated to surface fishing.
DF

[MIGHTY MAKO]

Thanks for the report Chris.This is the one I have been waiting for since Flyfest.Will be on the water as much as possible this weekend.Do you monitor any channels while in the river?
Donnie