We started the Ultra-Lite Hawaii fishing club over 35 years ago because one can catch a lot more fish using 2# and 4# test line than whipping with 12# or 15# test line and larger lures. You can catch maybe one 5 pound papio all day, or catch 20, ⅛ to ¼ pounders… and a lot of other little fish. You may not catch the biggest, but you will catch the most total weight. Granted this was salt water, but it's just as relevant in freshwater.
Do you want to catch a bunch of fish ranging from ⅛ to 4 pounds… or just a few in the 2 to 4 pound range. I want lots of action, but then that's just the kid in me. We kids don't care what we catch or how big it is… just give me lots of action.
The shad the peacock and largemouth are chasing are only 2 to 3 inches long. You have to scale down the size of your lures to match what the fish are feeding on. Match the Hatch as the fly fishermen say.
That's why I use the smallest CastMaster lures I can find. 1/12 and ⅛ oz. in gold or silver/blue. You have to use 4# or 2# test line in order to be able to cast those small lures. Also, even using 4# test you can tighten the drag enough to bend the hooks out if your not careful. I use to use 2# test, but as I get older, it's hard to see the line. LOL. If you have inexperienced anglers or kids, 4# test is about as small as you want to go. It's plenty strong enough to land large fish. Chris has landed 8 pound peacock bass on 4# test… granted it took 35 minutes and chasing the fish all over the lake, but it can be done. We regularly land fish up to 3 and 4 pounds.
We also use 10# test PowerPro braid line… it has the diameter of 2# test monofilament line so you can cast the small lures… but you have to change out to heavy duty hooks, or you'll loose the fish every time to bent hooks. We change the CastMaster "star" hooks to a stronger Owner single hook. This also makes the lure more weedless so you're not snagging the trees and grass on every cast. ( I like to bend down the barb on all my hooks, but an inexperienced angler looses more fish because they can't keep a tight line… so we leave the barbs on… it's a single hooks and still easy to remove from the fish )
Notice that I use some gold Flash-a-boo to dress up the single hook.
Now let's get to the "Little Gold Fly".
I use a #10 AH hook for all my stuff. It's plenty strong enough to use with light line, and it's almost like a circle hook, so if you get a fish on it's hard to loose them.
I just got into using orange thread… any color will work, I just think or and or pink adds a little color that attracts the fish.
You can use the bead chain to make eyes if you like. I sometimes use a plastic bead or nothing at all.
I get the gold Flash-a-boo at Nervous Water Fly Shop… They have lots of different colors and styles to choose from, and if your new to fly tying, they will be happy to show you how to get started. They also have lots of hooks to choose from and fly tying stuff too.
Simple and cheep… hook, flash-a-boo and thread. That's how it got the name… "50 Cent Fly"… When I showed it to Clay and told him what a great fly it was and he should sell them at his shop… He looked at the fly and said it was so "cheep" he couldn't sell it for 50 cents. LOL
These are the basic "Glitter Strip Rigs" that I use in salt and freshwater. In freshwater I use a short leader… 2 feet or less… and the bass still try to eat the plastic bubble.
If your not into tying flys, or just want to try something different… a twister tail or glitter strip works just fine on peacock bass.
There are other options on the kind of flys you can use. These work. The guys at Nervous Water taught me how to tie them.
Other very successful lures are the soft plastics… again, very small… these Yamamato Senkos are only 2 inches long. They are no longer sold, so I get them now from Filthy Fishermen Bait Company here in Hawaii. Jeff has just come out with a tiny Bass Assassin looking lure that is fantastic.
The Filthy Fisherman bait is clear with silver glitter… looks like a fat glitter strip, doesn't it? LOL
I fish all these lures "Fast" and "Erratic"… right near the surface. You can't reel too fast for a peacock bass. The peacock bass like it and you get to see the strike. (The largemouth like a slower retrieve.)
On the other hand, my grand daughter, Haley, now 10 years old, will cast out the soft plastic, raise the rod tip high and reel just fast enough to have the lure leave a "V" wake on the surface. When the shad scatter they leave a "V" wake on the surface as they try to re-group. That just seems to drive the fish wild. You can get hit any time the lure is in the water. Remember, DO NOT set the hook… just keep reeling, the peacock will set the hook for you… Now if the fish misses on the first strike and you set the hook, the lure come flying out of the water. The fish will sit there wondering where his dinner disappeared to. If you just keep your cool and keep reeling… the fish will have a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th chance to eat your lure before you get it back to the boat… believe me, it is so exciting to have 2 or 3 big peacock bass fighting over your lure all the way to the side of the boat.
