Link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1760602510/chartreuse-game-changer-fly-gamechanger
So there I was, with a game changer fly that I had tied and was happy with. I headed down to a local pond to see how my creation swam. I was excited with how my fly had turned out but my excitement went through the roof when I saw how my fly behaved in the water. On a constant retrieve, the fly swam like a swimbait. When given an erratic retrieve, the fly twitched like a jerkbait. I was in awe because whenever I tie a new fly, I am often shocked that it actually behaves the way I want it to. I'm even more surprised when a new fly catches fish. I was eager to cast this fly into water with some ignorant and aggressive fish.
I chose to test this fly on a farm pond that I have fished for 20 years. It has always contained bass in the 15 inch range that somehow have passed along genetics that have made these fish aggressive and almost angry. I use this pond like a laboratory. If these fish will eat a fly that I am testing, then that tells me that the fly COULD work on other bodies of water. This pond is like a testing ground.
I decided to cast this fly on an 8 weight rod because I had heard this fly holds a lot of water when cast. That makes the fly sink faster in the water but also makes the fly heavier when cast. I didn't want to overwhelm a 6 weight and after a few casts, I was glad that I had selected an 8 weight. I also fished the fly on floating line because I wanted to fish the fly in shallow water and near the top of the water column. I had caught some bass in this pond on topwater lures that I threw on spinning gear earlier in the morning and I was hoping that the fish would stay on the pattern long enough to maybe eat my game changer.
It only took 3 casts toward some shallow vegetation for a largemouth to dart out and chase down my fly. I gave a proper strip set and the fight was on. While I was ecstatic that the fly had been hit, I hoped that the fish would stay on the line. I had tied this fly with a 1/0 B10S Gamakatsu hook which I felt was an appropriate size but you never know how something will work until you try it. As the fish tired and I dragged it toward my net, I gained confidence in the hook I had selected. When I was able to slip the net under the 2 pound (approximately) bass, I gave an uncontrollable "woohoo" that conveyed my excitement to critters within a quarter of a mile.
As anglers can often behave, greed set in. I thought, "If one bass hit this fly in three casts and after seeing other lures earlier that morning, would other bass be tempted by this fly as well?" In the words of Gordon Gekko in the movie Wall Street, "Greed is good." While a person probably shouldn't apply that idea to all walks of life, it sometimes serves an angler well. I caught two more bass that were about the same size and while I'm always hoping to catch a wall-hanger, my confidence in this fly grew exponentially.
So now that I have tied, trimmed, and caught fish on a game changer that I have tied, I now feel comfortable selling this fly in my online store. For now, I am only selling game changers that are chartreuse, 5 inches long, and with a 1/0 hook. I plan on selling some other colors and sizes at a later time but for now, I am only offering the one, aforementioned fly. You will notice that they are the most expensive fly that I sell in the shop but please understand that these flies take a lot of materials/components, a lot of time to tie, and just as much time to shape with a pair of scissors which give it the tapered profile that the fly needs. I'm not trying to gouge anybody with the price. There just isn't any way around the cost, unfortunately. If you're interested in learning more about this fly, seeing some more pictures of the fly, or ordering a few, just click on the link at the top of this post or on the link below!
Link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1760602510/chartreuse-game-changer-fly-gamechanger
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