How to Tie Gartside's Gurgler

Learn how to tie the Gurgler including step-by-step instructions, a video tutorial, pictures, and much more. Improve your fly tying skills here.

Materials:

We've put together a kit that contains all the materials you need to tie this exact fly pattern.

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• Gamakatsu SC15 Wide Gap Hook - Size 1/0
• UNI Mono Thread
• Hareline Large Northern Bucktail - Chartreuse
• Hareline Krystal Flash - Fl. Chartreuse
• Hareline Fly Foam - 2mm Chartreuse
• Hareline Half Cape - Grizzly Chartreuse
• Hareline Flat Diamond Braid - Pearl
• River Road Gurgler Cutter - Size 2

The Gurgler is a great pattern for aggressive fish in both freshwater and saltwater. This fly can imitate a frog, mouse, and more for Bass laid up on weed beds or Redfish in the marsh. This fly can either be stripped aggressively to fool ambush feeders or defensive fish like Pike or stripped slowly to imitate a baitfish. However you fish it, this is one of the most popular fly patterns for aggressive fish. It can be tied in a variety of styles and colors... here's our take.

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Step One:

Start your thread and tie in a healthy amount of Chartreuse Bucktail so it extends roughly 2x the length of the hook shank. Wrap the Bucktail the full length of the hook shank to begin building the body of the fly.

Step Two:

Tie in a few strands of Chartreuse Krystal Flash. Tie the Flash in one side at a time so it extends past the tail on both sides of the fly.

Step Three:

Using the River Road Foam Cutter, cut a piece of Chartreuse Fly Foam and tie in the skinny part on the body of the fly. Tie the foam back to the bend of the hook.

Step Four:

Tie the Grizzly Hackle into the back of the fly with the shiny side facing you. Tying in the Hackle at an angle helps when palmering it forward.

Step Five:

Next, tie in Flat Diamond Braid near the bend of the hook and palmer it forward to create the body of the fly. Tie the Diamond Braid off just behind the eye of the hook.

Step Six:

Wrap the Hackle forward with open spirals so that it's evenly distributed and covers the full body of the fly. Tie the Hackle off just behind the eye of the hook and snip off any excess material.

Step Seven:

Fold the Fly Foam over the Hackle. Before folding the foam, push the down the Hackle so the foam fits nicely on top. After folding it over, tie the foam off just behind the eye of the hook. Whip finish, add some glue, and that's the finished fly!

Questions?

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