Chase Smith’s Spiral Spook fly
A topwater fly with gliding, zig-zag action
Chase Smith’s Spiral Spook is an extremely fun topwater fly that cuts sharply back and forth on the surface and entices some awesome blowups from predatory fish. The fly is tied on a 180lb stainless steel shark wire shank that I make by hand and it has an Ahrex Salt 274 hook on the back. It has multiple foam pieces that are all fused with adhesives as I tie the fly, and I airbrush and seal each fly by hand. Finally, it is coated and rotated for a smooth, flexible and strong finish. If you fish for predators with sharp teeth, the fly is easily fixed up with e6000 or Gorilla Glue Clear.
To make the fly walk back and forth, there are a few techniques and tips that will help you get the best action out of the fly.
- Use supple monofilament or nylon tippet. I really like the Orvis Superstrong Nylon tippet because it is flexible and lets the fly move back and forth, I usually use a 6ft leader with three 2ft sections, 50lb-35lb-20lb.
- Use a loop knot
- Keep your rod tip just barely touching the surface of the water to prevent the slack line between the rod tip and the waters surface from stealing the action of the fly.
- Use very short, very sharp strips. I basically keep my arm still and flick just my wrist sharply down.
- Change the cadence of your strips. Find the speed that the fly likes. Lots of times when you make a far cast it takes a couple of quick back-to-back strips to move the fly side to side and then it will fall into the slower walking cadence.
If you have any issues at all with this fly, reach out to me on Instagram @fishchaseflies or by email at fishchaseflies@yahoo.com, I will make sure that any problem is solved to your satisfaction.