The Poly Dodger

Damon

The wiggle eyes and beads give it sound. They rattle as the streamer dodges and darts around because of the Dodger Disc.

Here's how it all came about: The tying bug hit me amid winter 2014 as I waited for warmer days. I come from a largemouth bass angling background. Bass fishermen use crankbaits that impart action and sound to their presentations. Saltwater fishermen call these plugs. They almost all imitate baitfish.

Fly tyers spend a lot of time tying streamers and baitfish patterns, sort of our own handcrafted version of a crankbait. What do we lack? Motion and sound. Could streamers be made to swim and give off sound on their own? Yes. We can do even better because we can use any color combination imaginable, and the way we vary retrieves, we can better simulate wounded or fleeting baitfish.

Damon

Fishing The PolyDodger

Trolling works best. For trolling use whatever fly lines you have. Let out all the fly line straight down to the backing. Use an 8 ft. to 12 ft. straight monofilament leader in 10 or 12 lbs test line. Never troll in a straight line: zig zag, go in circles, or figure eights. Think of how baitfish swim.
For casting use 6/7 wt bass or saltwater tapered lines. This fly has a lot of wind resistance. You hear it whiz past like a bullet, so use heavy lines. I use 50 lb mono, two foot section of leadcore line, down to a short 4 ft. mono leader in 6 to 8 lbs test line. Casting these doesn't require as heavy a leader as trolling. Use the shorter leader lengths for casting.

Let's get into tying this thing.

Step 1: tandem hook	Step 2: connector	Step 3: secure	Step 4: main hook
Step 5: start the thread	Step 6: stinger	Step 7: underbody material	Step 8: underbody
Step 9: body material	Step 10: wrap body	Step 11: throat	Step 12: first wing material
Step 13: middle wing	Step 14: top wing	Step 15: eyes	Step 16: finish

Damon

NOTE: I use synthetic materials. Use whatever materials you see fit. Traditional bucktail streamers work are fine. To adapt your favorite streamer, use a tandem hook instead of a long-shanked hook, then add the dodger to the main hook.

Videos

Making the discs

Mounting the discs

The finished fly