I have started fishing with a new trolling type lure this season for trout. The Arctic Fox trolling fly has a great combination of lure qualities by keeping the more natural appeal and movement of a natural fur placed into a lure type action. The Arctic Fox Company has a trolling fly that is unlike anything that I have seen, the tube fly. The tube fly is a fly that is tied on a line through tube.
This picture I have flared out the fur to show the tube in the middle.
This tube concept allows the hook to be tied directly to the line and adjusted farther back on the shaft of the fly by adding small beads as a spacer to create better hookups with short striking fish. This fly is designed to be used with the Wiggle Fin Action Disc which is a type of clear vibrating disc that when pulled through the water, creates a vibrating swimming action that is transferred to the fly. This disc can be used with other lures, grubs or standard trolling flies but I have been using it with both the standard flies and the tube flies enjoying great success.
The disc comes in two different sizes and both create a different action to the fly; The disc can be adjusted by utilizing a line stopper or bobber stop to separate the disk from the fly and this will create a natural swimming action to the fly. When the disc is placed right up against the fly it creates a vibration that I find most similar to a rattletrap style bait. When using the tube Flies the action disc sits perfectly inline with the fly and is best to be free sliding directly against the fly. When Trolling the standard trolling fly either a Jay Flair or Arctic Fox trolling fly I often utilize a bobber stop placed 4 to 8 inches above the fly to mellow out the vibration and create a more natural swimming action.
I usually run at least one of each in my trolling spread. I find that trolling speeds can vary on the attitude of the fish, I try to troll on the slightly faster side by utilizing speeds of 1.8 to 2.0 mph but I have found great action in these flies down at the 1.2-1.6 mph range as well. I fists used these flies in a trip up to Eagle Lake, California where the only success that was found was utilizing this trolling technique. We used both the tube fly with the Action disc and the standard trolling fly behind a dodger and both had good success. Recently I have been chasing the local Sacramento Valley Trout this winter and have had excellent success on the flies.
These Flies can be found at very reasonable prices compared to lures and come equipped with the hook and Wiggle Fin action disc. Aside from trout, I will also be testing them on Stripers and Salmon this season. They make a 4″ version in their new “Salmon Series” which, I will also be testing in the ocean this season. The color combinations which can be created are great and I feel that even the smaller tube fly in red or orange with a larger hook could be deadly on the early season Krill eating fish. This bait has so many possibilities and combinations that can be used, from the large action disc to the creating of colors patterns that you want. Even the thought of putting two tube flies on the line to create a larger multi-colored bait for stripers will be tried this season.
Check them Out at http://www.trollingflies.com
I will add a link to them from our website in the near future. http://www.xtreme-angling.com