How About a Hellgramite Challenge ??

[SaltyBuckster]

I guess that it will soon be time for the river.Anybody up for a hellgramite challenge ?I'de like to see what you guys and gals can come up with.I'll start it off.1/8 oz. no collar with a size 2 sickle.Satin black head,black thread body and brown rubber legs.I'm using brown craft fur for the tail.Most hellgramites start off black in the head area and fade to brown around the small thorax.

 

[SaltyBuckster]

Legs were a little long.I cut them down.

 

[JSC]

I think the longer legs would be better

JSC

 

[SaltyBuckster]

But,I've never seen a hellgramite with long legs,lol.

 

[AtticaFish]

I've got a few different styles..... have to post them, but may not be till monday or so.

I love my hellgies and stonefly - patterns are very similar but usually downsized for the size of actual stone flies. Keep them buggy looking and they WILL catch smallmouth.

BTW - I have some with both long and short legs. They both work, but i tend to think the bigger bait profile will thin out some of the dinks. But thats just my personal thoughts.

 

[Lost Pole]

What the hellgrammite?
No idea what that is but I'm betting I should learn to tie on bc those look like stringer fillers.
I wish I could tie buck like you bc I'd never need material with the way my pops hunts.
One day.
What other fishll eat em?

 

[toadfrog]

View attachment 3View attachment 4Gave it a quick shot and a fast tie . So here is a pic.

 

[SaltyBuckster]

Very cool Toadfrog.Lostpole we did'nt have any in Arizona,don't know about your part of town.They live underwater and swim,sometimes for years until the turn into a flying bug that is big,lol.I'm sure that every fish eats them.And they BITE,lol.

 

[AtticaFish]

Hellgramite are the larva stage of the dobson fly. Carnivorous insect and they get very large, have seen them eating big minnows before. I have caught bass, bluegill, crappie and yellow perch on either jigs or flies in HellG or smaller stonefly patterns. I usually find them mostly under leaf litter in my river but the pattern also works on lakes.


Dobson flies are the adult stage. I find alot of hellgramites but rarely see dobson flies.

Edit - Wow - thats a big picture!!! lol Sorry to anyone with slow net connections.

 

[SaltyBuckster]

These are getting tried out tomorrow down at the ole Juniata.I took all of you guys suggestions and came up with this one.We'll see.

 

[toadfrog]

I know one thing if you get bit between the fingers on that thin skin there will be be some bad words floating in the air . Only handled one in my life . Lesson learned for me.

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

Those are some bad lookin bugs. Everything in the river's I fish eat them. You need to grab them right behind the pincers,anywhere else and they will nail you and they pinch harder than a big crawdad in my opinion.

 

[Ron Don]

Glad we don't have those things! Look mean for sure. How's his one? Sorry had to Ipic it...

 

[Jig Man]

When I was a kid fishing the Llano river with my dad we would stretch a seine in the shoals and turn over the small rocks with a rake to catch them. They are excellent channel catfish and black bass bait. We would hook them below the crown and let them drift under a cork with no weight.

 

[SaltyBuckster]

What is that RonDon?lol.Wait to see the mold that I am planning to screw up to make some picers in it..We use to throw them at each other as kids,lol.

 

[AtticaFish]

Ronny - darn you!!! i've all but thrown away all my plastics then you show me that. :dodgy: I'd like to know a size on that creation.... throw a ruler beside it next time you take a pic! Looks like red flake in there too.

Here are some i have posted in the past either here or flies on FAOL.....

Also posted this awhile back, not sure if you ever saw it. Hellgramite Tutorial I do them a little different now, more with dubbing but same idea. I also have some others i haven't posted, hope to get some pics tomorrow... these were some already on my img host.

 

[SaltyBuckster]

Very cool tuturial there attica.Feathers,feathers,feathers.I hate feathers.I get them all over the place when I try to use them,lol.

 

[Ron Don]

Ha Russ don't worry I don't have that mold. He sent a bunch of samples the other day when I got some more molds in. It's 3 inches though and is a nice looking bait.

 

[SaltyBuckster]

Get making !!Now that bait would get some attention by me anyway,lol.

 

[Ron Don]

Yeah this guy is giving me a taste of my own medicine with the sample thing!