This is a great fly to fish if you’re tired of drifting a bead, or if hungry trout, char, and grayling are trying to eat your indicator! (Which will happen, especially if you’re using the color orange!) The Gurgler is productively fished by casting it across the current and “waking” the fly across to the top on a fixed length of line. The takes you get from fish can be a range of savage to gentle, either way, it is fun to see a hungry fish come bulldozing to the surface for a fly! The scale we are tying the Gurgler on today is for trout, but you can also tie this fly on a larger hook to attract the attention of Tarpon and other hungry saltwater species. The Gurgler can be tied in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes, adjusting for your target species of fish.
Material List
Hook: Ahrex saltwater Shrimp, #6
Thread: Veevus 140 denier
Body: ‘Techno Rabbit’
Tail: silicone ‘flutter’ Legs
Foam: Hareline 3 mmm, orange, red, pink, white
Step 1
Cut foam into a strip, 1/2” wide, cut a radical ‘V’ in one end.
Step 2
Lay down thread base, and tie in silicone legs for a tail. I like to double the silicone legs over for a thicker tail. Then, trim them to be roughly the hook shank length.
Step 3
Coat your thread wraps with head cement (this prevents the foam from twisting). Lay down and tie in foam by the pointed end you cut, be sure to space your thread wraps, this helps with flotation.
Step 4
Tie in and wrap ‘Techno bunny’ body up to the hook eye.
Step 5
Fold the foam over the body of the fly. Secure with tight thread wraps, then fold back on itself to form a ‘lip’. The hook shaft bend helps push the lip up for the waking action so desired!
