Pot Bellied Pigs

[munro]

I keep seeing these advertised but have not managed to find out when and how they are supposed to be fished. Can anyone assist?

[tyneandrew]

I have had some success with them and they look the business in the water, just fish them like a conventional fly really when the conditions suit. Infact i caught my first fish off the Tyne this season on Sunday with one, unfortunately it turned out to be a kelt

[fishingd0]

Had fish on them from March to October. Tends to fish better on a sink tip or sunk line and on a tube.

Gordon

[Sloggi]

I had some success on a lightly dressed PBP tied on Shirmakov (wrong spelling, sorry) bottle-tubes with a cone on the front. It got down nice an deep attached to a floater with intermediate tip. It was September on the Aberdeenshire Dee and although the pools had coloured residents, I caught mainly fresh running fish. Most successful was an orange version followed by an orange version with black body-hackle. I don't tie them with a front hackle - they become too bushy! Cones are gold.

[say]

I find a black PBP with gold ribbing does the trick and on a sinking line. I have taken fish in the conventional manner and also by 'tipping' the rod up and down.

One thing I find is that the majority of the fish I have caught have 'attacked' the fly in the same manner as a worm.

[Sloggi]

Yes, I can agree with experience of the fly being attacked - I've had the same.

Never been a fan of "tipping" the rod! However, I must admit to seeing it work on occasion.

I seem to have most success on short, fat, stubby PBPs.

[jollyrodger]

I had good success with them at the tail end of the Dee season in low water. I tied them up fairly sparse on doubles and fished them on a floating line tipping the rod. Took 6 salmon in a 10 day spell.

[Sloggi]

I guessing but I would say they were orange PBPs? I had 17 fly caught fish in the last two weeks on the Dee with most being on an orange PBP conehead. The others were on a orange/yellow Flamethrower.

[jollyrodger]

Spot on Sloggi. All on orange. Don't know how much was down to pure luck or the pattern itself.

[Sloggi]

I think orange is terrific on the Dee in August/September and most orange based flies will do the trick. The other big attraction is the tail which is very attractive on a PBP. However, luck plays its part as ever.

[salmao]

Hello guys!!

Sorry for the question but I'm a real rookie!!

What is the diference between the taking like worms and the other kinds of taking?

Thanks!

[salmao]

Also what tippet diameter are you using for theses PBP's in the spring?

Thanks

[Sloggi]

salmao said:

Also what tippet diameter are you using for theses PBP's in the spring?

Thanks

The "take" probably deserves its own thread. Why not start one

As to diameter of leader, I'm fishing Seaguar 23lb at the moment which is 0.37mm and go as low as 8.8lb (0.20mm) when sea-trout fishing. In this thread where I mention the PBP I was fishing in September and using a tapered leader (two pieces knotted together) with an optional dropper. The strength/diameter was 25.5lb/0.41mm down to 19lb/0.33mm. Both lengths were about 4.5 feet long.

I use fluorocarbon because it's stronger and thinner compared to other types of material - now there's an interesting thread I recall a thread a while back where I think the predominant leader material was Maxima.

[stu47]

A couple like i took fish on at the back end of last season,i fished them on a floater as it was not to deep,good solid takes on them though,the orange one has polar bear for the tail and the black has purple bristles

[ibrox]

Nice pigs comrade ;D i will be tying some up for the Annan

[stu47]

Best of luck comrade annan ;)also the orange one has a body of pearl mini flatbraid

[para1]

1st fish of our system last year on the fly. If i wasn't so thick I could put a picture on site.
Yellow and Black PBP overall length almost 3ins. Have fished them for a few years now, my 1st fish on the PBP was at the back end on an a mainly orange concoction.
Fly in water, catch fish. I am not really convinced that what it is really matters. Everybody fishing such and such will catch fish.
I think the example of this is when spinning. Must be a Yellow Belly minnow, the thing that has killed this is the Flying C.
On our system for 7 years on the trot, the Tadpole took the first fish on the fly. Why? because that's what everybody was fishing, 5 out of the 7 were on my tying. BTW I tie flies ,I'm not a fly tyer and don't do it any more (eyes).
Sorry for going on.

[Sloggi]

Hi Stu47

Nice flies - I'm sure they'll do well. However, are they PBPs? I'd have to ask myself what are the key elements that distinguish a PBP from another shrimp pattern. As far as I can see, the laying of the Jungle cock on the top of the fly is one element; the use of the curved bristles is another; a rear hackle is, I believe, another.

Under no circumstances do I wish to diss your excellent flies

Leaves me wondering when a set "pattern" morphs into a new "pattern"? Are all flies intrinsically the same?

[ibrox]

I use the pearl mini flatbraid in a lot of my PBP's . Looks good ;)adds a bit of twinkle to them .

[stu47]

Good question Sloggi,i never tie to exact patterns for one reason or another,so i suppose all are variants,those i didnt make with a rear hackle as i had no real good feathers for it when i got the pig bristles,so i tied them like that and they worked,you could just call them shrimpy things, but then is that not what a PBP is?After all there are no set rules in tying