Fly Tying: Brammer's Custom Texas Hook - Shank for Weedless Baitfish Patterns 

Wow... you put in a lot of work into this Fly but what a fantastic pattern because of your extended shank to tie on. Great idea and even better results..!

Gunnar, your videos are great for tying instruction and information. I have tied flies all my life and I still learn something whenever I watch one of your videos. I live in the deep South on a lake full of bass. I have tied a lot of flies on these types of keel hooks (wide gap offset). More importantly, I fish them all the time, so I have a whole lot of test time invested in them. You gotta be careful with these types of flies. They may be so weedless that they also become fishless. I have lost more fish than I care to admit due to fishing weedless flies. On the other hand, I have probably doubled or tripled my strike rate due to being able to throw flies into cover that I could never fish without a weedless fly. So there is a trade off. Over time, I have adjusted and re-adjusted the weedlessness of these flies to the point where I feel pretty confident about my hookup percentage. In the past, I have experimented with extending the front shank like you demonstrate in this video. The 5/0 hook you are using is probably going to work just fine due to the size of the hook. But doing this with smaller flies will probably not work very well. I like the new hooks that Partridge did for Kelly Gallop. These are good for tying keel flies on smaller hooks. If I could have changed one thing about them, it would be to make the gap a little wider. But for average sized fish, or fish with smaller mouths like spotted bass, trout, smallies, they are good. Thanks for all your great videos.

Hey Gunnar, Great idea and design as usual. I haven't even ever thought of tying on this type of hook. It's great there are young minds in the game to expand the thinking of older guys like me. Keep up the good work. All the best, Sean

That tweezer eye trick is awesome!

The most innovative tyer I watch on yt!👍

Absolutely love your videos specifically the excellent way you teach techniques for difficult to handle materials. I noticed in recent videos you are using a new bobbin that appears to be a constant tension bobbin. I would love to know more about the bobbin.

Hi Gunnar, thanks for another great video tutorial. I like the time and effort you take to show and explain the process, your thinking behind the design and materials used, and the test tank finale. Keep em coming!

Luv this idea sir. I been trying something out as well with a similar style. But with the ability to use a small, slim profile trailer plastic with a rattle. Using a longer neck shank usually for larger worms. Don’t want a 7/0 hook.. and I know VMC makes one for mouse head jigs for Texas rigged works for Bass pro.. just haven’t found the hooks yet

Excellent idea and design Gunnar. I also pinch my eyes to get the narrow head shape but I use old wooden clothes line pegs!

Great Idea!

Gunner You rule buddy. Great instructional video.

Great job as always Gunnar.

I'm in...I've been fly fishing with rubber 3 inch trout worms an 4 inch if I can find some thinner ones..for bass way to long...I've tied a few streamers...and have a few deer hair bugs that I've tied...so winter's coming and I'm going to build up an arsenal...of your stuff...gettin serious...yes I'm a subscriber now you bet'cha

With all due respect, because you are awesome. I just built almost the same fly on a be VMC 6319 BN in 2/0.

Hey Gunnar! I have an idea for your shank. There is a product called a parasite clip. It is designed for those hooks to protect plastic worms. It keeps them from getting torn off at the eye. They are hard to find sometimes but google them and you will like what you see. They come in small, med, and large.

Great looking bug, love the technique and the tweezer trick!

I use Partridge extreme predator lock bend X wide gap worm hooks it has twice the shank length of the Ahrex

yeh, barbering, love it. Was in Wallys t'day lookingat these hooks a'wondering.

Awesome idea Gunnar. Great use of the faux bucktail too. I wish someone would bring back the old keel hooks that were made for tying keeled "weedless" streamers. So you haven't tested this yet? It seems to have enough space for a good hook up. This reminds me of the worm hooks that had a ring eye barbed shank attached to the hook eye. The shank was inserted into the nose of the bait, then Texas rigged to the actual hook point. It kept the worm from sliding down the hook and balling up in the gap that occurred with a conventional Texas rig. Your quite the thinker Gunnar, thanks for all you've done and will continue to do. God bless...

Hi Gunnar, a year late but you should try the "Beadsmith one step looper". I tried it and can make endless identical loops (+much faster) now, had to find something because i struggled so hard with forming the shanks. Bend 180° and put it in the looper, boom perfect loop.

Why not try articulating the shank around the "z" bend in the hook. Form a loop in either end of the shank then after tying on the shank, slip the front loop over the hook eye and back into the top corner of the "z". You could then wrap some thread around the top and middle of z to keep it in place yet swinging free. The idea being that the shank would move freely away from the hook point when a fish takes the fly.

gunnar i think i know where you got that hoodie you are wearing. the guys at schults outfitters. great guys and awesome fly shop.

Thanks Jeff. I was thinking maybe it was an Ekich Automatic bobbin but not sure.

Great idea, u could do some massive foam bugs on that also.

Can you get tear mender that dries clear and not rusty looking. Great fly and tips.

Why the major fly hook companies aren't offering the hooks needed for the kind of fly he's trying I don't know...

That would be perfect for bendbacks too

curious. if you bend the back section down and under instead of up it would leave the top parallel and the bump of the overlap inside the gap. also, a slight upward bend on the hook point with pliers gets the hook up rate much higher simply by raising the line to the hook point. only need 1/16" or so to achieve this. just my thoughts.

I use about a 1/4 ( + about 1/8 to tie in) inch piece of tube liner and tie it as a tube fly, then tie onto the hook and build the head on the actual hook.

I kinda do the same thing but I use a finishing nail and cut it to size.

5+ years later, are you still using tear mender for your jerk heads?

I know this is old, but could you do a mono straight for this now?

Tieing was great! Not sure I like the concept tho, your making the jaws of the hook small!! Why no do the same thing extend the working area, but the other way, so you don't decrease the gape of the hook??

Awesome video Gunner! Have you tried using single strand titanuim for the shank? I assume it would be quite difficult to tie on...but it is fexible and bend out the way of the hook gap when you get a fish on. Any thoughts on that?

Have you changed to using the knot 2 kinky on all these Texas plus shank ties?

👍

@Gunnar Have you tried adding the shank in front to extend the gap instead?

I love it what advice would you give someone that is just getting started

Can you also make twist tail connection with that wire. #yourock.

Where do you buy your faux buck tail?

How often you miss the fish with this fly because of smaller opening in the hook?

Why use such a heavy gauge wire ? Asthere is no hook hanging off of it. Much easier to build on lighter wire.

Hi! What kind of aquarium in which check streamer? The idea is very interesting! thank!

Why not extend to the front of the hook

Gunnar what kind of vise do you use

Awesome. What about some stainless MIG welding wire .030?

Интересный стример получился.

Do you sell flys or just make your own

gap interference seems to be the problem here. hook designers build hooks with the appropriate gap. shortening that gap doesn't seem to be good practice

they have same kind of hooks w/ a longer "nose"...more room to tie

Looks like a "bloody fish " mate.

Ххххх

too long a shank and your hook rate will go down.

kind of a dumb design because you've effectively shortened the hook gap resulting in less hookups

They sell those hooks with longer shanks. Total length of hook is 4 inches