# weed guards?



## RG Air (Nov 10, 2015)

are you using Mason's hard mono?


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## karstopo (Nov 28, 2019)

I went away from using any added weed guards years ago. I rarely fish in heavy submerged sea grass areas, though. I do fish over submerged sea grass, but in the cooler season when it’s nipped back by colder water. 

I do fish around shallow heavy shell a lot and will also fish high water level flooded pasture and cordgrass shoreline margins. 

Some patterns I use are naturally more weedless. I use some 60 degree jig hooks for shrimp patterns and those resist snagging on shell. Things like borski sliders can be tied where the deer hair acts as a guard. Everyone know bendbacks are naturally weedless. Hook point up patterns obviously do better than point down types. Buoyancy can be toyed with to stay above the obstructions. 

If I can see the shell, most of the time I can, I can avoid casting to the heaviest and most shallow parts likely to snag even a weed guarded pattern. Same story for cordgrass shorelines, just don’t cast into the dense stuff that’s going to likely mess up even a guarded pattern. 

My experience with weed guards is that they don’t necessarily prevent snagging grass or shell and they absolutely interfere with hook sets. Single post, double posts, loop types, in my experience all cut down on getting quality hook sets. 

if I hit my target and have the right buoyancy, I seldom get fouled or snagged patterns. Super thick and shedding grass is about impossible to fish with even the best weedless flies and leaders. There no way to drag anything through heavy grass and not have issues. 

For oyster reef and grassy shorelines, no guards for me.


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## jay.bush1434 (Dec 27, 2014)

I go back and forth on tying weed guards in. Most of the patterns I'm tying ride hook point up so won't snag on much. In the spring, we get this fine algae dying off as it warms up. As it dies off, it floats up and gets wrapped up on your fly no matter if you have a weed guard or not. If I do tie in a weed guard, I make them with a single piece of 30lb hard mono.


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## Outearly (Oct 20, 2015)

I used to tie with weed guards, mostly now I use Congo hair or brush collars on the flies I use most, which are variations of redfish crack patterns.


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## BrownDog (Jun 22, 2019)

I’ll go a little against the grain here. For flies I know will be fished in grass (flood tides) I often tie in a weed guard. I have done the mono “spikes” but never really liked them. I have gone to the loop weed guard. This seems to work pretty well. I would rather miss the fish on a strike than blow if off the flat trying to pull a fly out of grass. I do not seem to miss that many fish with it either and it is easy to cut off.
Use a pair of pliers to flatten the mono at both tie in points. I also use 16lb hard mono, a heavier mono may affect results


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## Outearly (Oct 20, 2015)

BrownDog, that's a neat loop. I'll give it a try.


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

All the above is similar to my experiences.
Except tying the loop I've used Mason or Maxima.

I found this cruising BassPro 
3 sizes, 7/8" long to 1 5/8" long.
Anyone tried something like this?


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## jsnipes (May 1, 2011)

^ is that a condom?

i use either 12lb or 16lb mason. i usually do a "double" where I tie it over the hook eye and then draw it down. i feel like they are helpful to have for the most part


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## mwolaver (Feb 6, 2014)

I use a single or double mono guard on almost all of my flies. In chokoloskee, they're more like brush guards. I try to err on the lighter side with regards to the weight of the mono. Also, the length has an effect on how "easy" they are for a fish to push down. I personally feel that the circle guards DO affect hook-up ratio.


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## Bill Payne (May 22, 2018)

I throw bendbacks up into deadfall all the time and I can usually tease it out. Saves the trouble of a weedguard. Not sure if you're talking heavy weeds though. We don't have that around here much.


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## Ken T (Dec 10, 2015)

I tie almost all my flies with double mono guards. 30#
As important for keeping the flies out of the mangroves as submerged weeds.

Also like bendbacks for the same reason. They don't stick to brush much.

Hookup rate does not seem to suffer from the guards.

Ken


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

Weeds become annoying to me when it's just about every other cast your getting bit by a weed. If I get two or three weeds out of ten casts I'm not bothered at all.



karstopo said:


> some 60 degree jig hooks











Think this an Eagle Claw.
Picked up a box of fifty couple decades ago and used a few for small mouths who like to reside in the rocks. There should be some available right now in the San Joaquin river, three to 12 feet deep if there be rocks... That hook was less prone to snag the rocks than my Mustads did. 
(kinda looks more like 45%)

I've keep a few hooks next to my fly desk.









Size 20 up to 7/0
I keep my bigger hooks out in the garage along with all the non fly stuff


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## SC on the FLY (Sep 16, 2015)

im a fan of Mason hard mono 40lb single post but will go to 30#for smaller flies , just my preference though


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## Steve_Mevers (Feb 8, 2013)

I use 16lb or 20lb Mason


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## jsnipes (May 1, 2011)

fwiw, dave skok uses 16lb mason double on his inshore flies. and he is not a bad fly tier


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## kjnengr (Jan 16, 2018)

Yes @mro that looks like an Eagle Claw 413.


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## skinnydip (Mar 27, 2016)

Here in South Texas there are times you have to have them. Use wire on spoon flies and single hard mono many times, double when faking eyes and also bucktail tied parachute style with some adhesive. This was taught to me by my friend Bud Rowland from Port Isabel, very innovative and great fly fisherman. It works great you can see it on his mud minnow collection.


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

It's not my fault,
my dad did it first...
(baaaad influence  )


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Almost all off my flies for the backcountry have wire weed guards if I can manage it -even clousers.


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

I use pieces of plastic water bottles. Cut it like a very thin baseball diamond


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## skinnydip (Mar 27, 2016)

Permit chaser do you have pic, seems very interesting


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## MatthewAbbott (Feb 25, 2017)

permitchaser said:


> baseball diamond


Great; now I’m depressed...


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

skinnydip said:


> Permit chaser do you have pic, seems very interesting


I'll take one and post it


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

skinnydip said:


> Permit chaser do you have pic, seems very interesting


Ok I took the picture on the first to show reflection so you could see it. I put black dots on it to blend with the fly
The second photo I put a piece of plastic cut in the shape

















PM me if you want more tips


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

think I might give that a try

thanks
permitchaser


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## skinnydip (Mar 27, 2016)

any effect of fly action? definitely looks weed effective


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

skinnydip said:


> any effect of fly action? definitely looks weed effective


I don't know.
One might say I'm lagging as I've been tying flys and just received a mail order today, but not tied a weed guard and have not ordered that weed guard. If no one reports on it in the next week or two I'm sure that I'll think of something I want and order it too.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

mro said:


>


Don't do that.


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