Grappling Frog

C hasing topwater Murray cod in the warmer weather is something that every red-blooded Aussie fly fisher should experience at least once. And if your name is Ben Levagueresse, you design some cool flies with which to do it.

Hailing from Sunbury near Melbourne, Ben needed a topwater frog that could be cast into the snags without the hang ups of mono weed guards. Super effective in the twilight of dawn and dusk, the Grappling Frog can also be fished throughout the day if the fish are in the mood. The fly is particularly effective during daytime if the water is coloured, drawing fish from their snags to investigate the commotion.

Finding the right hook was problematic, until a special hook from Ahrex called the Predator Swimbait came on the market, designed by Gunnar Brammer. The first flies Ben tied used a single #6/0 hook, but retention rates were low at around 30%. Changing to smaller twin size #1 hooks significantly improved the retention rates.

It looks complicated (it is) but a few more strategic bends in the hook shank allowed two hooks to be fixed together somewhat like those soft plastic frogs that you see on TV — like a grappling hook. Ben makes some special shanks to help construct this fly. One is a ‘Z’ shape, used to rig the two hooks and create a foundation for the head of the fly. The other is a ‘Y’ shank used to tie in the legs. Combined with a bespoke foam popper head, Ben’s Grappling Frog kits are available from The FlyFisher.

Start by bending the PR378GB hooks at around 20 degrees at the right-angle bend. Bend each hook at opposite angles as shown in the tying steps. Then hold the entire bend in the jaws of your pliers and bend the hook points to be parallel with the front part of the shank again. Next, thread each hook onto the Z shank as shown. Fix with tying thread and soak with super glue — set aside to dry thoroughly.

Take one of your Y shanks and tie on a healthy bunch of chartreuse bucktail. Whip finish and apply head cement or UV resin. Repeat on the other shank to finish your pair of legs.

Begin your thread on the third shank and tie in a length of 80lb mono that you have prepared by melting a ball in one end. Then tie in a strip of 3mm thick chartreuse foam. The foam should be prepared in an 8mm wide strip, reducing to 6mm halfway down and tied in at the point that the foam changes width.

Apply some mottled artwork to the back of the thicker section with a permanent marker pen. Secure well with a few thread wraps and some super glue before tying in a 12–15cm length of Chocklett’s Game Changer Chenille. Advance your thread and chenille to the shank eye and half hitch so you can remove from the vice.

Place your grappling hook in the vice again and re-start your thread on the hook shank. Measure the remaining mono, trim and melt a ball on the end so that the legs are behind the bends of the hooks. Tie in the mono to the hook shank then glue on your popper head, making sure the eye sockets are aligned with the hooks. Then continue winding your chenille up to the foam head before tying off.

Tie in the thinner foam strip, trim, followed by the thick foam strip to create the back of the body, applying a little super glue between them. Whip finish and cement behind the foam head then trim the end of the foam. Finish the fly by applying 3D eyes into the eye sockets and tidy up your artwork with a permanent marker.

Ben uses a 10-weight rod matched to a Scientific Anglers Titan fly line but says the smaller flies can be fished with an 8-weight. He makes his own twisted leaders from 40lb Maxima, placing a swivel in the end of the leader before tying 20lb tippet to the fly. This setup prevents the fly from twisting your leader and fly line, and delivers great turnover and accuracy when fishing snags.

Ben recommends a slow strip-strike so that the hook points find home, something that may be hard for some when a Murray cod implodes your fly. Ben also guides, so if you are keen to experience some hot Murray cod surface action, look him up at ozzynativeflies.com