Tenkara Rods & the Bully Spider: A Perfect Match for Panfish

Article by Ivan Zoot

The match the hatch imperative of western fly fishing has been a buzzkill for casual participation if not a complete roadblock to enjoyment for many new to the sport. The “one fly” ethos that is a cornerstone of traditional tenkara has proven a liberating invitation into our tenkara culture. The traditional sakasa kebari has certainly landed more than its share of bluegill, but if there is an ideal fly for targeting panfish with tenkara rods, the Bully Spider just might be it.

The following is me “bullying” you into casting Bully Spiders at panfish for fun and consistent catching

1. Bully Spiders carry a bit of weight. This weight makes them easy to cast and control, even for the novice tenkara angler.
2. The weight of Bully Spiders makes them easy to adjust for depth in the water column thereby easily placeable just where you want them, where the fish are holding.
3. The legs of Bully Spiders, much like the reverse facing feathers on a sakasa kebari, impart irresistible action that bluegill go after with enthusiasm.
4. Bluegill are more frequently fished in still water, ponds and lakes, as opposed to moving flow, so the leg action is even more important as an attractive enticement.
5. Since dropping down and settling in the water column is how Bullys were designed to be fished they literally scream “made for tenkara”!
6. Their nearly universal success makes them a perfect “one fly” choice for the pack small and travel light approach to fishing that is so very much a hallmark of tenkara.
7. For a non-traditional approach fish the Bully as the bottom of a dry/dropper combo. Suspend the Bully below a foam bug at a depth appropriate to where you determine the fish to be holding. The foam bug will serve as a strike indicator for the Bully below, or as a  tasty topwater target on its own.
8. Bullys are easy and cheap to tie. They consist of just four simple materials, easily assembled with very basic tying skills.
9. The infinite color combination possibilities mean there is a right bully in nearly every situation.

Once you are bullish about Bullys here are my top tying tips for better, more productive Bully Spiders

1. Tie on wide gap, number 10, down eye, heavy wet fly hooks. My favorite is the Mustad S80AP Heavy Wet Alpha Point. The wider gap provides hook point clearance that allows for the wire and chenille thickness and leaves a suitable hook gap for consistent hook up. Smaller hooks become too crowded.
2. Chenille comes in different thicknesses. Avoid the really thick stuff as it crowds the hook gap.
3. Use a hackle pliers when wrapping the internal wire for clean, tight wraps that make for consistent quality Bullys.
4. Stop the chenille well back of the eye so as to leave enough room for tying in the legs and building a nice thread head for a classic Bully shape.
5. Tie some monochrome Bullys. I like tying black thread with black chenille and black legs and white on white on white for contrast where desired.
6. Get creative with color combinations for interest and “pop”.

The link at the video HERE is a great tying tutorial to brush up on Bully tying tips

The History of the Bully Spyder for Bluegill

The Bully Bluegill Spider is a creation of the late 1960s. Terry and Roxanne Wilson, in their 1999 book on bluegill fishing, cemented the Bully Spider as one of the most effective and enduring bluegill flies. Their goal had been to better imitate what bluegill actually enjoy, small, lively insects.

While observing anglers fishing live crickets, the Wilsons noticed that it wasn’t just the bait itself, but the constant twitching and kicking motion of the insect’s legs that triggered aggressive strikes from bluegill. With this insight, they experimented with a fly formula that would replicate both the look and, more importantly, the movement of live bait. By adding weight at the rear of the hook, and rubber legs up front, they created a fly that would sink vertically, back end down, while the legs wiggled up front. This closely mimicked a struggling insect descending through the water column. From this a legend was born.

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Ivan Zoot stalks the panfish of northern Illinois in ponds, lakes and streams with a combination of respect for the traditions of tenkara and a healthy dose of curiosity and creativity for tenkara innovation.

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