Swinging flies?

clean out your PMs

Best to start in little steps than jump into the big rods and sink systems.  
For the Erie tribs,
 Really all you need is a standard fly rod, a short heavy 2-3 section of 3-8 ft Maxima leader and an assortments of different sizes and weighted streamers. Split shot is an option but I've found you can swim the fly better and control depth without em instead of the fly being dragged by a sinker. Strung microshot is better than one big sinker.
Next, you could use short lead heads which would help if the water is up. I use 2-4 ft sections of T-14, and 6ft and over use density compensated Rio tips. I like the tapered tips over the T-14 because the line lays out better and more accurately. The non-tapered t-14 in longer lengths tend to fly end over end on my casts, somewhat like tossing a stick.  
After that, (it can get confusing)  Rio's multi tip system is a good option. Later, when your sure you got it down(weight vs depth vs flow-mph vs hang time... and understand the whole concept, you can cut down your tips and add loops to quickly change for conditions.
Now its time for the spey pages.

Thanks all. sorry about my pm box, room in there now.

I was up today, Wednesday the 25th, and had my best day ever with a fly rod. I landed 6. And landed 4 more of which I foul hooked while Practicing Swinging. I did catch one swinging though. And it was gnarly as hell.

I do know that the curve was my biggest obstacle of the day. Right after the first mend it would pull my fly unnaturally. And end up landing in a few dorsal fins.


Thanks for the replies all, especially the diagram. Helps out a lot!

ORIGINAL: KJH807

Nice!

the takes on swings can rip

make sure you are casting enough downstream... a cast straight across can lead to the cure/bend in the belly of the line
(it happens when you line goes downstream of the fly or is moving faster than your fly)

its hard in small PA water, since there are multiple currents

yep, but I'll be trying again next week. Well see how it goes.

also, anyone have a favorite fly to swing? A Wolly buggah? And special colors?

Thanks All!

my personal opinion

tippet doesn't really matter with a properly swung fly
the fish isn't seeing a full profile (and therefore tippet) like a stripped fly
I usually run straight 3' or 4' of 12# mono

flies? (sorry, i have posted these before, and i'm not currently tying)
rabitt is great since the fibers don't take much to move... and when casting they colapses and throw easily
on the swing they won't press flat when in current





the black palmered feather is bronze iridescent coque tails 
it won't press flat in the current... but it not too rigid to prevent movement
(i have been adapting the below fly by splitting the coque and adding a zonker strip on the top)
 



for low clear water... a sparse fly is better
tinsel and wire rib for some flash

Does any one on this board that likes to swing flies tie tube flies?  I like to tie on Frodin tubing, usually size small or x small.

i sent out some polar fiber minnows... waiting to see the results

dano- you swing or strip those?

PB- i have not tied tubes.... yet


swinger- chime in i know you got the goods

ORIGINAL: KJH807
dano- you swing or strip those?

K,
Good question.  I do well stripping, jigging and imparting action but this past Fall on the Cat, the fish absolutely fell in love with this fly swung in the type of moving water as pictured below. Intermediate line on a 3ft leader. The last two hours of daylight seemed to pull these fish into this type of water. 1/4 cast downstream, no mend and let it slide. Once in a while a couple of micro shot.
Black over gray over white worked well, too.

Yea, your right in that this particular fly represents a silhouette of a baitfish.
 The fly excelled in water that one would normally present a deer hair winged fly in that current is needed. Like deer hair, the material produces a pulsating action.
In slower pools, the fly action needs to be imparted.
 When jigged, it resembles a swimming squid (that's about the best description I can come up with). LOL

Nice lookin' stuff there fellas. 
 
I agree with Bob about water clarity and colors. 

I see you guys like using zonker style flies.
The problem I have is that if I top them with anything longer or fuller than the fly below, they want to invert.
I've tried straight eye, up eye and a little lead underneath with limited success.
The weight of the bunny always wins out if I don't keep it sparse.
Anyway, heres a good slower-clearer water fly that works well up in these part.
It originated here in WNY. Flashabou dubbing is the body. 3/16 eyes.

I've also not had any issues with zonkers flipping over.  I wrap alot of lead around the shank though.

Well, I went up and landed 9 fish, strictly swinging A black/purple Beadhead Wolly buggah.
Schweet! MY personal best day on tribs yet, if you've had better keep it to yourself!

But, was a great time, And I'm hooked now for sure. ****it. I was the only one consistently catching fish in the AM, and even had a guide stop to ask me what I was using. I told him Nightcrawlers. (Kidding, I told him WB)

Anywho, thanks a hell of a lot to all who helped and contributed to this thread. It seems like it's helping a lot of folks, keep it going!!

I cant believe I let this post go for so long without giving any input. I really dont know why any rabbit strip fly would flip. My only thought is that you are tying in lead eyes on the same side of the shank as your rabbit strip. Here is my version of that WNY Mirrored Minnow pattern. The original has brought many steelhead to my hand. I really enjoy throwing big flies at them. This is the biggest that I have tied so far and it has worked. I use an octopus hook size 4 dangling about an inch off a waddington shank. You dont nead to use a waddington, you could just cut the hook off a 4xl streamer hook. But to eaches own.
 
A demo of the hook

 
I attach the rabbit with med sized silver wire matuka style. Kind of tough to see in the pic but you get the idea.

 
I use 1 full piece of marabou for a collar, add a throat of red guinea, and a couple pieces of pearl flashabou on each of the sides. When all of that is attached I pull the remaining rabbit strip through the collar and tie it off in front of the eyes.

 
Just to give you an idea of the size. also in the pic I added one of them waddington shanks if you are not familiar with what they look like.

 
Do I always through flies this big? No. Do I only catch big fish with this style fly? No. Sure I have gotten some nice sized fish but I'll still get the 24" as well. The thing with swinging is you are only after the aggressive fish. I was stripping this sized fly early last fall and got a 9" smallmouth on it. Do I only fish this sized fly in darker water? No. When you are swinging you can throw that small fly clear water thing out the window, IMO. Sure some days I will down size my fly in clear water to an Alec Jackson size 3 which is about the size of a normal streamer hook size 6 or so. Thats what I got for you swingers out there.