The Bend-Back is another saltwater pattern that has become more of a style of tying. Just like the Prince of Tides and Clouser Minnow , it's designed to ride hook point 'up' to prevent snagging and the point getting burred over on the rocks/shingle. The original dressing has a chenille body, but the style lends itself to many of the simple hairwing streamer types like the Rays Fly or the Silver Outcast I have tied here. The original dressing for the Silver Outcast has black thread and a silver body, but I have attempted to show the effect created by using chartruese thread and mother of pearl mylar.

Hook: Mustad 34007, size 2.

Thread: Danvilles flat-waxed.

Body: Flat mylar.

Collar: White bucktail.

Wing: Yellow and lilac bucktail, 4 strands of peacock herl.

Varnish: Black.

Step 1: Using pliers, bend the hook so that the point is just above the eye (about 30 degrees).



Step 2: Lay a base of thread for the body.



Step 3: Double wrap the body with mylar.



Step 4: Tie in a collar of white bucktail.



Step 5: Tie in a sparse pinch of yellow bucktail for wing.



Step 6: Add lilac bucktail to the wing.



Step 7: Top wing with 4 strands of peacock herl.



Step 8: Varnish head with black varnish.

__________________
A forum post should be like a skirt. Long enough to cover the subject matter, but short enough to remain interesting.

Good flies, and practically weedless. If you want to avoid having to bend the hooks, try these;

Gamakatsu LS-3113R

http://shorterlink.co.uk/6466

they are also available in red and are good for shrimps etc.

http://www.gamakatsu.nl/html/english/ls-serie.asp

TL
MC

MJB, have you tried a bend back clouser variant? The bent shaft allows for a "wide" profile baitfish pattern.

Mary, all good stuff. I've been fishing some BIG 6" versions of these this season. If you use a longshank hook (911, 34011 etc.) you only need a slight bend in shank just behind the eye. This helps to obscure more of the shank so you don't get that gap between material and shank. Also opening up the hook bend slightly improves hook ups.
It has to be said that I haven't caught on these in clear water during daylight but have had a few at night on darker versions (at you know where ). I like bendbacks because they allow you to fish right in the rocks without losing loads of flies, always a bonus.

Cheers

JRT

Care to share.

__________________

ukflydressing A UK based fly tying site packed full of flyting tips and photographic step by steps. Now with added fly fishing section.

Sod off! You don't do salt, remember.

__________________
A forum post should be like a skirt. Long enough to cover the subject matter, but short enough to remain interesting.

Sorry, but I won't be spoken to like that by someone called........

__________________

ukflydressing A UK based fly tying site packed full of flyting tips and photographic step by steps. Now with added fly fishing section.

Denise,

Only good friends, such as HRT, get to call me Mary and then only on Thursdays.

__________________
A forum post should be like a skirt. Long enough to cover the subject matter, but short enough to remain interesting.

****** missed out on the insult slinging yet again. Should really spend more time on the forum.

FF - be interested in seeing a BB clouser; got a piccy? How does it work; seems to be a contradiction of ideas. Bendback covered the hook point and swims upside-down as there is a keel effect and the materials are tied on the under side; clouser uses weight on top to swim upside-down.

__________________
JME
www.ukbass.com www.wildtrout.org

Jamie, no contradiction, they work together in perfect harmony as Messrs McCartney & Wonder might have said. Here's a clouser variation of the SOBB:

Its the wrong hook (I'm trying to use up a pack of Mustad 9672) but it does the job.

btw, I forgot to mention, I don't get a chance to fish saltwaters but saltwater patterns are good for freshwater fish like bass, steelhead, salmon, etc.