The original prototype firecracker!

The original firecracker prototype hahahahahahaha!!!!https://www.sportco.com/store/pc/cat...42_general.jpg








So a little back history to the firecracker shad fly.

Two-three years ago when the first non drought year came for shad I got to doing an experiment with fly colors in the grub patter that Jeff has started tying back quite a few years now. I posted about what the shad activity was like that day here on the forum. It was an oddball year because the high water was back, and with the past two-three years of drought we got used to the spots to fish for them. Well if you want more info on shad activity you can search for my lengthy post about shad activity while in the river.

So that day I was using a sinker swivel system to get the line down next to the boat to see the action near us. Also so the fly line wouldn’t float away as easy. Well some color did not work. But what was odd was they where hitting the swivel like crazy! I mean if not for drag they would take line out. So a few days later it clicked to me! Gold tinsel, red collar, brass bead head and UV tail. I started using UV material back on 2012. The badder Santa is just that. Best evening fly I have used to date! Unless you run glow in the dark. But then you need a flash light or some light source to light it up and makes for too much work for what a few minutes before having to get off the water? Yea no thanks!

So after the crazy swivel days I started running the gold finger I guess you could call it hahaha! And it’s second to non in the shad fly world I wold say! Funny was that day to say the least but it did bear fruit into a color that works like crazy! That day with the swivel we landed about 200-250 shad between three of us in the boat. Jeff was anchored across from us that day with Andy. The bass boat we where in was to big to anchor with the water speed so we tied our boat off of a tree the rest was history! :D


Hope this will be a good read for you guys and gals!

I lived in south Sacramento in the 1960s and we road our bikes to the Minnow Hole on the Sacramento River for Shad.

We used spinning gear with a chrome plated Shad Darts which we stripped down cutting off the red thread to remove the white bristles.

The jig head and hook were chrome platted and we added a chrome ball bearing swivel in front of the Shad Dart.

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Some years ago I took a Mustad 3908C #6 hook and added only chrome bead chain eyes and gave them to some friends.

They said they worked great........

Great history!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by winxp_man

The original firecracker prototype hahahahahahaha!!!!https://www.sportco.com/store/pc/cat...42_general.jpg








So a little back history to the firecracker shad fly.

Two-three years ago when the first non drought year came for shad I got to doing an experiment with fly colors in the grub patter that Jeff has started tying back quite a few years now. I posted about what the shad activity was like that day here on the forum. It was an oddball year because the high water was back, and with the past two-three years of drought we got used to the spots to fish for them. Well if you want more info on shad activity you can search for my lengthy post about shad activity while in the river.

So that day I was using a sinker swivel system to get the line down next to the boat to see the action near us. Also so the fly line wouldn’t float away as easy. Well some color did not work. But what was odd was they where hitting the swivel like crazy! I mean if not for drag they would take line out. So a few days later it clicked to me! Gold tinsel, red collar, brass bead head and UV tail. I started using UV material back on 2012. The badder Santa is just that. Best evening fly I have used to date! Unless you run glow in the dark. But then you need a flash light or some light source to light it up and makes for too much work for what a few minutes before having to get off the water? Yea no thanks!

So after the crazy swivel days I started running the gold finger I guess you could call it hahaha! And it’s second to non in the shad fly world I wold say! Funny was that day to say the least but it did bear fruit into a color that works like crazy! That day with the swivel we landed about 200-250 shad between three of us in the boat. Jeff was anchored across from us that day with Andy. The bass boat we where in was to big to anchor with the water speed so we tied our boat off of a tree the rest was history! :D


Hope this will be a good read for you guys and gals!

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