This is the first in a series of fly tying videos by Oregon Fly Fishing Blog’s Matt and Nate Stansberry. Based in Cleveland, the Stansberry brothers are fly fishing the backwaters of Lake Erie and the other Great Lakes for four species of bass, and some toothier predators.
This fly in particular is called the Chubby Chaser. It’s a spun deerhair bass bug designed to be fished on a sinking line on deep structure. The fly floats or suspends off the bottom. Try these in white, black, or other color combinations for any warmwater predators.
The bucktail provides bulk and length without adding a lot of weight or drag when casting. Shape the head conically for a minnow profile. Think slider, rather than diver. Also, the thicker you leave the head, the more buoyant this will be. Make sure you use the UV materials when possible — we can’t recommend this stuff enough.
Matt fishes this fly on a fully sinking six-weight line just above the rockpiles in 20 feet of water.
FLY RECIPE: The Chubby Chaser
Hook: Gamakatsu B10S size 1/0
Thread: UniThread 6/0 white
Tail: White Bucktail
Flash: Micro Opal Mirage Flashabou
Body: UV Polar Chenille, Pearl
Collar: Marabou, white
Head: Deer belly hair
