Saltwater Gurgler

Topwater fish magnets

If you are a topwater fan you should pay attention to the simple gurgler patterns that are so popular with saltwater anglers.  I have dabbled with Gartside Gurglers and other variations of mice tied in "gurgler" style, but it wasn't until I started seeing the awesome patterns out there that I really focused more time on them.  If you are on Instagram do yourself a favor and go follow Nick Davis with @239flies.  His flies are some of the cleanest and most innovative flies I have seen for a while, and they can be modified for application for multiple species.  This gurgler is tied "gangster" style, and no doubt I got a lot of inspiration from Nick on this tie.  One of the key components that I use on this is Maradub dubbing for the body of the fly.  This dubbing is a great way to create just the right amount of bulk, yet leave lots of squiggly squirmies (marabou) coming out of it.  

The cool thing about gurglers is that they have a very distinct action in the water, and they can be tied in thousands of color combos and configurations.  Some of the gurglers I have been playing with are:

White/Blue

Hook: Daiichi 2546 #4-2/0 BUY HERE

Thread: MFC Premium 3/0 - White BUY HERE

Tail: Extra select craft fur - Kingfisher blue/white BUY HERE

Body1: Palmer chenille - Pearl BUY HERE

Body2: Schlappen - White BUY HERE

Body3: Salty snack dubbing - white BUY HERE

(alternate for Body3: Maradub - Polar bear) BUY HERE

Foam: Two-tone fly tying foam - White/blue BUY HERE

Head: Bruiser blend dubbing - Sky blue BUY HERE

Tan/Orange

Hook: Daiichi 2546 #4-2/0 BUY HERE

Thread: MFC Premium 3/0 - Light brown BUY HERE

Tail: Extra select craft fur - Tan/orange BUY HERE

Body1: Palmer chenille - Root beer BUY HERE

Body2: Schlappen - Tan or Fiery Brown BUY HERE

Body3: Salty snack dubbing - Tan BUY HERE

(alternate for Body3: Maradub - Tan) BUY HERE

Foam: Two-tone fly tying foam - Tan/orange BUY HERE

Head: Bruiser blend dubbing - Tan BUY HERE


Tie some up, and make sure you modify some for our freshwater friends too.

~ Cheech



Recipe for the fly in the video:

Tan/Pink

Hook: Daiichi 2546 #1/0 BUY HERE

Thread: MFC Premium 3/0 - Pink BUY HERE

Tail: Arctic fox tail hair - Tan BUY HERE
Hot Spot (spawn sack) - Cactus chenille - Hot orange BUY HERE
Eyes: Epoxy mono crab eyes - Tan BUY HERE

Body1: Palmer chenille - Pink BUY HERE

Body2: Coq De Leon Hen Saddle - White BUY HERE
Body3: Maradub - Bonefish betty BUY HERE

Foam: Two-tone fly tying foam - Tan/pink BUY HERE

Head: Ice dub - UV tan BUY HERE