STATESIDE FISHING SWIM FLY

This fly weighs in at 2.5 grams and has two articulations, my custom shanks have different diameters, loop sizes and lengths. The hook is placed towards the middle of the fly for a great hook-up ratio, I can easily cast this fly 80 feet with my 6 weight streamer setup. Designed from my favorite bluegill swim bait this pattern took me a couple months of trial and error to complete and I’m finally happy with the slow sinking and glide action.
The game changer platform is heavy with too many articulations which actually kills the movement that most are trying to create. I make my own shanks using the one step loopers, the size of the loop depends on the wire diameter I'm using, if you have play in your loop connections it won't articulate properly. I use 1.5mm, 2.5mm and 3.0 mm loops on the shanks I make. The shanks that companies offer are either too heavy or have loops that are too big so I started making my own for proper articulation, tying the materials lightly and finishing the head for the glide action took some experimenting as well but it's not as important as the body layout. The glide action on the pause really entices the fish to strike, the faster it is retrieved the faster the tail kicks just like a traditional swim bait that one would use on a baitcaster or spinning rod setup and that is what this design is based off of. Thanks for watching.