I'm a member of a group supported by the VA for disabled veterans. It's called Project Healing Waters. They teach veterans to tie flies as well as build fly rods. Ever since I joined we would receive a monthly kit that consisted of a fly designed for the type of waters we fish in and the materials to tie 12 exact copies of the fly in the kit. Well I'm the sort to tie all 12 in one sitting and then twiddle my thumbs till next month. A friend said why don't you tie flies between packages and I thought that was a great idea. I'm not great at it yet although I do get a little better with each kit. Since this time last year I have tied over 400 flies. Some look better than others but hey that's life and to me this is therapy. When I'm not tying the kit flies I now freestyle and attempt to copy something I have seen near by like bugs and such. I try to match things the local fish feed on. The last time I was fishing I saw a needle nose gar eating a bluegill. One snap of the gar's mouth and the bluegill was in 2 pieces. I know it looks like badly butchered catfish bait but I was going for that look. The fly is weighted to swim with hook up for being semi weedless. I also added a worm rattle on the hook side to assist with the weedless attempt due to it's buoyancy. The rattle will also work as a fish attractant. The hook is a #01 long shank Aberdeen. I know Aberdeen hooks are pretty light for large bass but an Aberdeen will hold up to a 5 lb bass no problem maybe more. Must of the bass I see are closer to 2 to 3 lb With all that said,

I give you, BLUEGILL BIT BY GAR.







I think a bass might find a badly wounded but still swimming bluegill an easy delicacy. Even if it doesn't..... I had fun tying it. Heck with some shad oil on it, it would probably be a good catfish trolling lure.

Steve on, you're diving down the rabbit hole of fly tying; satisfaction and frustration guaranteed.
I like that gnarly, cut-bait look. Let us know how it fishes.

I like it! pics of what you catch with it

Will do. on the way, next time I go out.

I think you might be onto something on maybe getting a bass interested.

Nice post and some nice baits. Good job.

Tying is definitely therapy and a way to connect when not on the water. On my "bad back" or kidney stone days I fill my boxes. Nice looking bug.

I had planned on slaying tons of bass with the lure.... Funny thing is no bass were biting on anything. But I was able to coax a small gar into hitting it. Those tiny teeth really ripped it up and it was no longer salvageable. But I'm going to tie a few more just so I have something in the box for when nothing else is biting. It was fun to catch on a light 6' fly rod. I could not stop giggling as it fought with me.

You called that one in the name you gave your fly. Good deal!

I guess I did make it pretty close to what I saw at the lake that day. [The second half of a two serving gar's dinner]. The gar certainly thought so.
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