by dahlberg » Wed Feb 18, 2015 3:18 pm
Ah Ha! You've created a slider! The g of course means grains. a fly that weights even 5 grams is heavy, since it equals 77 grains. 4=61g.7,3=46g. It seems if you can keep the fly in the range of not being heavier than the jump in weight to the next size larger rod and line it is optimum. But, in all cases lighter is better than heavier when it comes to casting. The hook really is an excellent choice. I like the stiffness and shank length. the young musky fly guy I fished with in Virginia a few week back was using them as well.
The only thing that will help true glide, i.e. the lure moving forward without being pulled, is to give the lure slack after it's been put in motion. It's likely some wild things could be accomplished slashing furiously between jerks while using a 9 or 10 foot fly rod!
One of the problems in the overall design of a fly which relates to weight is that in order for something to glide in the water it needs to have specific gravity that's close to that of water. For a lure to walk the dog it needs to be tail weighted. I break walk the dog into three types, "slappers" which are long, slim and heavily tail weighted and may actually stand vertical in the water; "zig zaggers", which is what a traditional zara is to me, and third "gliders" which can, if worked right, zig zag eight feet or more under ideal conditions. When the lure changes direction it might turn within a degree or two of 180 degrees.
Good luck, and keep trying and keep us posted on your progress!
best
Le
Larry Dahlberg
The Hunt For Big Fish