Tying big flies continues to be an obsession at the shop. These efforts are fueled by some of our recent pike fishing adventures. One unique and very popular fly for larger predatory fish has been the Game Changer, originated by Blaine Chocklett. I haven't tied very many of these, but throwing big streamers for pike inspired me to sit down at the vise and tie a few up.
This is my first game changer tied with Fish Skull big game shanks and the new-ish Chocklette's body wrap. This fly features yellow and chartreuse body wrap, wound together to give the fly a dual tone. Get creative and mix colors (wrap both colors simultaneously). The results of wrapping two colors together gives Game Changes a great mottled look. Alternatively you can tint these fibers with markers to give flies barring or darker dorsal coloration. By using a lighter color Body Wrap as a base and tinting it with markers, you can create lifelike imitations of baitfish and prey fish species- perch, bluegills, and even juvenille trout.
The picture below shows the anatomy of this particular game changer- you can see that this fly has three 25mm fish skull big game shanks. The lighter weight fish spines make a fly that is easier to cast with light line weight rods. The fish spines are also available in several lengths, either in a mixed pack or bagged by size. By mixing up the sizes of shanks you can tie different sizes of Game Changers. For most sizes of Game Changer flies, a Gamakatsu B10s stinger hook will work quite well. For bigger flies make the jump to a plated Gamakatsu Saltwater hook- either an SL11s or SL12s.
I will work on fly tying video for this type of fly and hope to post it soon. In the meantime, if you want to try tying these flies stop by the shop with any questions about materials and tying steps, or give us a call at the shop- 605-341-2450.
