Anyone tie a Pig Boat fly? Maybe for bass?

Josh

Dead in the water
Staff member
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I don't usually look for flies at big box stores. I either pick them up at fly shops if I want nice ones or order them online if I just want basic cheap-o versions. But I was wasting a little time at Sportsman's Warehouse yesterday and ran across this fly:

IMG_9067.jpeg

It was labeled as a "Pig Boat" and it looks darn bass-y with that rubber tail and jig hook. Interestingly enough, I didn't find much on the internet about it. Which is pretty odd. I wouldn't think of Sportsman's as being a place with any unique flies. Maybe it's called something else by other fly companies? There is another fly with a similar name "Calcasieu pigboat", but it appears unrelated. I did find this tutorial on YouTube:



Anyone ever tie/fish one of these? While you could swing it in moving water (I think Bulls might like it), I really think it looks like a pretty interesting fly for aggressive bass. Might not be the most fun to cast though.

EDIT:

Found some more info. It's apparently made by a company called Round Rocks Fly Supply. Sportsman's only carried the black and purple (with just the black in stock at my local store). But the Round Rocks website shows five different colors:


That Rootbeer looks bluegill like crazy and chartreuse seems like it could do some smallmouth damage.
 

Josh

Dead in the water
Staff member
Admin
Calcasieu Pig Boat

Hook - Bass style
Thread - Black
Hackle - Your favorite color
Body - Chenille in your favorite color
Legs - 56 strands of rubber legs (original recipe?)
Head - Built up thread
UV Resin

Reference

http://www.warmwaterflytyer.com/corner.asp?page=2

I'm no expert. But to my eye, aside from the name and the rubber leg "skirt", that seems like a different fly. No jig hook, no conehead, no rubber tail, uses hackle. Its almost like someone took elements of the meat whistle that @troutpocket and that Calcasieu Pig Boat, added a rubber tail, and made a new fly.

But.... as you all probably know, I'm not much of a fly tier. So there may very well be a relationship between the two "pig boat" flies that I just don't understand. Or perhaps I just don't understand how significant a fly "variation" can be.

Regardless, the one I'm interested in fishing for bass is the jig/conehead/rubber-tail version.
 

Chucker

Steelhead
I'm no expert. But to my eye, aside from the name and the rubber leg "skirt", that seems like a different fly. No jig hook, no conehead, no rubber tail, uses hackle. Its almost like someone took elements of the meat whistle that @troutpocket and that Calcasieu Pig Boat, added a rubber tail, and made a new fly.

But.... as you all probably know, I'm not much of a fly tier. So there may very well be a relationship between the two "pig boat" flies that I just don't understand. Or perhaps I just don't understand how significant a fly "variation" can be.

Regardless, the one I'm interested in fishing for bass is the jig/conehead/rubber-tail version.

Seems to me much more likely that they took inspiration from a standard bass jig, and tried to make it into a fly.

I have fished flies with tails like that in the past. They usually are horrible to cast, and without a lot of weight to make the tail work on the drop they don’t work as well as a regular jig.
 

clarkman

average member
Forum Supporter
Seems to me much more likely that they took inspiration from a standard bass jig, and tried to make it into a fly.

I have fished flies with tails like that in the past. They usually are horrible to cast, and without a lot of weight to make the tail work on the drop they don’t work as well as a regular jig.
That has always been my impression of those as well.

Now, the big curly tails as seen on some musky flies do actually move as intended, but really suck to cast.
 

Josh

Dead in the water
Staff member
Admin
If I had to guess, I bet these are fishy in the water, but rough to overhead cast. A spey cast would be much more fun. But of course less practical in lakes for bass.
 

Dustin Chromers

Life of the Party
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That would slay coho especially with the upturned more snag resistant hook for getting deep in the cover along tidewater timber. I've always regarded fishing coho in rivers as basically silver bucket mouth fishing.
 

tkww

Steelhead
I've used a Jawbreaker for smallies. The rubber curly tail catches fish. Yes casting leaves a bit to be desired.
 

Josh

Dead in the water
Staff member
Admin
I've used a Jawbreaker for smallies. The rubber curly tail catches fish. Yes casting leaves a bit to be desired.
Ah yeah, a Jawbreaker has some similarities for sure. Just adds hackle and removed most of the rubber leg skirt. Same general idea though.
 

wanderingrichard

Life of the Party
Well, theres always this , too

 

Matt B

RAMONES
Forum Supporter
That would slay coho especially with the upturned more snag resistant hook for getting deep in the cover along tidewater timber. I've always regarded fishing coho in rivers as basically silver bucket mouth fishing.
Except sometimes those silver bucket mouths do really weird, frustrating stuff like keg up in a few holes and just roll, and roll, all day long but take no flies and no jigs and no tiny spoons, etc. But yes the casting to cover and let it drop and get in there tight thing, how brave are you in timing your drop before the first strip, and where does that seen/unseen branch extend, that does feel very similar.
 

Dustin Chromers

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter
Except sometimes those silver bucket mouths do really weird, frustrating stuff like keg up in a few holes and just roll, and roll, all day long but take no flies and no jigs and no tiny spoons, etc. But yes the casting to cover and let it drop and get in there tight thing, how brave are you in timing your drop before the first strip, and where does that seen/unseen branch extend, that does feel very similar.

Those generally aren't the biting kind. Those are around the edges up in cover. If you aren't willing to lose flies you won't be a very successful coho angler.

I used to pole my canoe past the throngs of people casting to a hole full of fish into the side sloughs only to return an hour later and down the river. They would always ask what was back there and I would always respond that it was birds and snags. Meanwhile it was the unmolested distributed fish back there that were easy to catch.
 

Norm Frechette

Googlemeister
Forum Supporter
I'm no expert. But to my eye, aside from the name and the rubber leg "skirt", that seems like a different fly. No jig hook, no conehead, no rubber tail, uses hackle. Its almost like someone took elements of the meat whistle that @troutpocket and that Calcasieu Pig Boat, added a rubber tail, and made a new fly.

But.... as you all probably know, I'm not much of a fly tier. So there may very well be a relationship between the two "pig boat" flies that I just don't understand. Or perhaps I just don't understand how significant a fly "variation" can be.

Regardless, the one I'm interested in fishing for bass is the jig/conehead/rubber-tail version.

not really on the "meat whistle" comparison

Calcasieu Pig Boat most probably out dates the meat whistle and probably the 2 you posted in your original posting

they look pretty damn similar to the Calcasieu Pig Boat most

 
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