The Northern California Fly Fishing Board - Favorite Fly

Favorite Fly - Rubber Legs Lizard Gurgler

(14 votes)

Written by Phillip Fischer
Sunday, 30 March 2008
A pril brings a decided change from winter to spring here in Northern California and many fly fishermen turn their thoughts to fishing top water flies for black bass! The April Fly of the Month features a Rubber Legs Lizard Gurgler pattern that I’ve used with very good success on Clear Lake. The pattern is an adaptation of a pattern tied by Larry Dextraze, which he tied for the Kelsey Bass Ranch. If you like to fish top water flies for bass, you've got to give this pattern a try! Fly Rod Caught Bass on a Rubber Legs Lizard Gurgler at Clear Lake in Early Spring A good friend invited me to Clear Lake last spring to fish for bass. I had dabbled a little bit in trying to fish for bass with a fly rod years ago, but never pursued them with any consistency. And, honestly, I didn’t know a heck of a lot about fly fishing for bass. But my friend told me he’d been doing quite well fishing traditional bass techniques on top water lures, and that’s all I needed to hear. I quickly accepted his invitation and almost as fast, sat down at the vice to tie some flies. Another friend had shared Larry Dextraze’s Lizard Gurgler pattern, so I sat down and began experimenting and adapting this pattern to meet the specific needs for Clear Lake. The result was the Rubber Legs Lizard Gurgler pattern. The following week I had the opportunity to test this pattern with Rick in the cove near his house in Lakeport late one evening. He set up a traditional spinning rod with a top water frog pattern, and I set up my eight-weight fly rod with a floating line, 0X tippet and a Rubber Legs Lizard Gurgler. Before we had ventured 30 yards down the cove, I had a blow-up on the fly, but missed the fish. Two more casts and another fish exploded on the fly and moments later I landed a nice 2 and 1/2 pound Clear Lake bass! That evening we worked a good mile + of shoreline in the last hour of fading light. I had 15 blow-ups on this pattern, with five fish to net, and the fly was awarded a permanent place in my newly emerging Bass fly box. The trick was to cast close to the shore or tules and immediately begin an aggressive retrieve. Often as not, the fish would take within 3 or 4 strips on the beginning of the retrieve. Rick had fished the front of the boat all evening, with first shot at all the structure, and he’s an ex-tournament bass fisherman as well. Yet he only had three fish explode on his top water lure, with two to net. As a new fly fisherman, that evening he confided that he was going to have to leave his spinning rod home and learn to fly fish for bass! Completed Rubber Legs Lizard Gurgler (With Weed Guard) Pattern Recipe: Hook: Up-eye Black Salmon Fly Hook, TMC 7999 or Mustad 79580, Sizes 2-6 Thread: Black or Olive 3/0 Tail: 6-8 Olive Ostrich barbs, overlaid with 6-8 Grey or Black Ostrich barbs or Peacock barbs, and further overlaid with 3-5 strands of Olive Krystal Flash or Polar Flash. Lastly, a Clump of Black or Olive Marabou tied in over the tail. Gurgler Body: Black 3mm Foam Body: Olive Estaz or Flash Chenille Legs: Yellow or Olive variegated rubber legs Weed Guard: 20-25 pound monofilament (optional) Tying Instructions: 1. Attach the thread over the eye of the hook to close the gap 2. Tie in the monofilament weed guard on the top of the hook and extending well down the bend of the hook. When fishing very dense cover, it can pay to put on a double weed guard off the top/sides of the hook. 3. Tie in the olive ostrich extending approximately 3-4 inches beyond the tail set position of the hook. Tie in the black ostrich or peacock over the top of the first bunch and extending the same length. Tie in the Krystal Flash or Polar Flash on top of tail. Finish the tail by tying marabou over the top of the tail, but extending only about 1/3 of the length of the tail to help form the tapered body of the lizard. 4. Cut a strip of foam approximately ½ to ¾ inches wide (depending on hook size) and about 2 ½ times the length of the hook shank. Tie in the foam at the back of the hook eye and tie down over the length of the body to the tail set position, leaving the surplus hanging off the back of the hook. 5. Tie in the olive Estaz over the body back to the tail set position. 6. Cut four strands of variegated rubber legs approximately 3 inches long. Tie in two on the near side of the hook and two on the far side of the hook at the 2/3’s position on the hook shank. You can adjust the length and position of the rubber legs after they are attached to the hook with several light wraps of thread. Adjust the position of the legs by manually manipulating the material into place. Wind back over all four strands back to the 1/3 position on the hook shank. Manipulate the rear legs into place. You should have two strands on each side of the forward side of the hook and two strands on each side off the rear side of the hook forming the legs. 7. Wind the Estaz or Chenille forward to the rear of the hook eye taking care to tightly wrap immediately before and after each set of legs to prop them out at 90 degrees from the hook shank. Tie off at the rear of the hook eye and trim the excess. 8. Pull the weed guard monofilament loosely forward to the eye of the hook and tie off. The monofilament should form a broad loop which protects the hook point from catching weeds when casting. Clip the excess. 9. Fold the foam forward to the eye of the hook to create the back of the fly. Wrap several firm wraps at the head position leaving a forward flap to form the gurgler. Your wraps should be close enough to the eye to enable the “up-eye” portion of the hook to push the foam gurgler flap upward so it will fish like a popper. Clip off the excess foam leaving this flap extending approximately 1/3 to ½ inch forward of the eye. Whip finish and glue the head. Pictured below is the underside of the finished fly. Note the color variation towards olive, versus the topside of this fly which is black. Also notice the finished weed guard.
Last Updated ( Sunday, 26 October 2008 )

Discuss (3 posts)

Phil

April Fly of the Month - Rubber Legs Lizard Gurgler
Apr 01 2008 04:35:26

This thread discusses the Content article: April Fly of the Month - Rubber Legs Lizard Gurgler

The April Fly of the month pattern features a top water bass pattern that I've found particularly effective at Clear Lake. The Rubber Legs Lizard Gurgler is a relatively easy to tie, easy to cast pattern that bass can't resist. Give it a try! The article is located on the NCFFB Home Page at the URL above.

#7423

FeatherFisher

Re:April Fly of the Month - Rubber Legs Lizard Gurgler
Apr 02 2008 16:48:46

Very cool Phil. I am going to have to give this a try at Almanor. I have been wanting to try for bass on the fly rod but have yet to do it. Thanks!

#7463

troutnut

Hey FF
Apr 04 2008 01:19:52

The map of Lake Almanor for the 2105 relicensing had all of the LMB and SMB spawning bed locations marked.( thanks PG&E) It would be a real good idea to drag those 20lb books out and fish the nearest dropoff to the spawning areas. The big fat mommas will stage in ambush points near the beds, while the smaller males will post up on the beds. 2 years ago I kicked my floattube around one of those bays near the Prattville intakes... lots of grabby males... I was a week or two too early for the females and never got back up there to punish them some more. Black Clouser's with a rabbit strip tail tied into the fly on a floating line or crayfish imitations work real good. I bet the flats at Mountain Meadows will have spawners earlier than Almanor.

Hint- Thermalito Afterbay already has LMB sitting on beds from the last full moon and you can wade some of the shoreline there without too much trouble.

#7511

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