If you are headed to some of the local hotspots popping up on the message boards, don’t forget to throw some black varieties of Clouser and Seaducer in with the standard fare.

Lefty Kreh makes no bones about his admiration for the Clouser, and he gushes about the Seaducer as well. Both flies have the two things fly tiers and fly fishers love most – they’re easy to tie and they slay. I learned a Seaducer watching Lefty’s video, and later came to add bead chain eyes in order to avoid weed guards and keep the hook running up.

If you are not getting the usual action on the usual flies, it could be because the fish you are pounding on are not going for what they have seen yanking their friends into thin air! It could be water color or sky color as well. SO, go to the box and pick something unusual out, and give it a go. Also think about going to a loop knot if you aren’t already tying on with one – the increased action of a loop knot can make all the difference if the fly doesn’t.

I was drawing blanks last week on a good spot, under pressure to produce for a guest, and a bit tired of the attention required to keep in the zone and off the rocks. Enter the black Seaducer. It’s something I tie for fishing at dark and on dark days. That day the water was extremely stained due to wind conditions, and there was a bluebird sky. I dug down and pulled out the Seaducer, casted along the seam where they had been, and on the second cast they began buying in to the new offering. Two threes, a two, five and six pound palmetto later, and that convinced me that change is good.

Although you know your waters, be sure you don’t get locked into the mindset, “Well, it worked here before!” Feel free to think, and throw a sinker or curve at them from time to time.

Somebody figure out how to get these tweets to wrap around here and in the sidebar. And speaking of sidebar, the latest information in tweet form is located on the top of the right column.

• #flyfishing – How did I miss the new Carp BUFF! https://www.buffwear.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/1511 #
• #flyfishing http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_ac25199e-3574-11df-a154-001cc4c002e0.html #
• #flyfishing Seems heavy to me. http://www.wildernesssystems.com/product/index/products/angler/Commander_angler/commander_120_angler #
• #flyfishing Somebody buy this for my Fly Bar! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120547502726 #
• Jimi Hendrix Valleys of Neptune. It's about time. #
• #flyfishing http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Texas-fossil-hunter-finds–88503792.html — Fly fishers love this stuff too. #

In an ongoing attempt to bring TFC consumers the unusual, hard to find, and downright impossible to find, our buyer managed to find some hooks that are guaranteed stickers, and some experimental hooks that could be very interesting.

First, I have been very happy with a couple of facets of the Eagle Claw 413-CAT jig hooks. They are very sharp right out of the box – providing great strength and penetration on spring run palmettos and sand bass. They also have a 60-degree angle which seems more palatable for tying and action. Look, maybe every Clouser you tie runs hook up, but I guess I am just not that good a fly tier as ever so often mine don’t – especially when I am tying for shallow running. The 413-CAT is plated for saltwater and the Eagle Claw 410 is the same hook but bronze. Our buyer has only been able to find the Eagle Claw 413 in size 2 which is pretty reasonable in comparison to other size 2 hooks in the same family. However, in an effort to offer a variety of sizes the 410 is available in size 4, which should serve multiple purposes at that size, color, style and hook weight.

The Mustad 39994D circle jig hooks are an adventurous experiment in hook applications. I am a firm, no STAUNCH, believer in circle hooks for hooking and holding fish notorious for shaking hooks – specifically largemouth bass and stripers. When our buyer saw these, they seemed to cross over and offer the best of both worlds. The key word is “seemed”, so they will be undergoing rigorous testing in the R-and-D department, and I will send four hooks (either size 2 or 4 only) to any registered user who requests a sample for their fly testing purposes. The Mustad Circle Jig hooks are plated for salt, and the sizes are nearly identical to the C71SS Mustad Circle hooks used for the same applications – only a fractionally shorter bite.

All these hooks are on the “Fly Merch” portion of texasflycaster.com, and feel free to ask questions before purchasing. They are photographed on a common US minted quarter for reference.