Fly Tying: Simple Bass Slider
Some topwater bass flies pop, others gurgle, and some dive beneath the surface. This one slides.
The Bass Slider has a really unique action. Give it a strip and the fly slides just under the surface, then floats right back up when you pause. That little slide-and-rise motion gives it a much different look than a traditional popper and makes it a ton of fun to fish.
This Bass Slider is also a pretty forgiving fly to tie. With a few simple materials, some 2nd grade foam cutting, and you’ve got a topwater pattern that moves differently, floats well, and gives bass something a little different to look at.
Bass Slider Materials
- Stinger Hook
- Any wide-gapped hook will do just fine, the trusted Gamakatsu B10S in sizes 1 to 1/0 is a solid choice.
- 2mm Foam
- The star of the show- the foam allows this fly to work its magic.
- Rubber Legs
- I prefer round rubber since it’s a little bit stiffer, but any legs you have around will be great.
- Bucktail
- Bucktail will help add some movement and structure to the tail.
- Marabou
- Bass flies and marabou tails go hand in hand, this fly is no different
- Flash
- Flashabou, Crystal Flash, whatever you got to make this tail shimmer!
- Chenille (Flashy or Natural)
- I prefer a flashy chenille like Palmer Chenille for this pattern, but anything you have will work. I’d err on chenille with longer, scraggly fibers to really fill out the fly.
Bass Slider Steps
Prep Materials
Tying this Bass Slider goes a whole lot faster if we prep some of our materials before we actually start tying.
Recall your 2nd grade arts and crafts skills and cut out several small circles from the 2mm foam (color is your choice). This certainly does not have to be perfect, but something the size of a dime or penny that is roughly circular will get the job done.
Even better, if you have any sort of small cookie-cutter type thing to make the cuts more consistent, roll with that! If not, the bass won’t care too much if the shapes are a little off. But for clean, consistent flies that catch fish and fisherman, try to get them as neat as you can.
Additionally, you can cut out a bunch of the rubber legs at this point as well. These should be about 1-2 inches long in sets of 2. You can certainly go longer or shorter if you like and can always trim them later if you err on the longer side.
Add Tail (Bucktail, Marabou, Optional Flash)
For our tail, first add some bucktail that is a little longer than the shank of the hook. The bucktail provides a little bit of structure and adds some color contrast.
On top of the bucktail, throw on a singular marabou feather. This gives the fly a ton of action without adding any bulk. Those fibers will dance in the water when we pause the fly.
Optionally, add some flash on top of the bucktail and marabou combo. I generally like to add flash to all my flies, then just cut it off down the road if I feel like it’s too much.
Add Chenille (a few wraps)
Near the base of the tail, tie in your chenille. Give this a few wraps, then tie it back down.
Whatever material you choose, avoid too many wraps. We’ll need space for the next steps, so just don’t overdo the chenille. I typically use Palmer Chenille- 3-4 wraps is perfect. Depending on the thickness of your chenille, we just need enough wraps to cover the threads from the tail and fill out the shank of the hook.
Secure Foam
After the chenille, secure one of your foam discs. You’ll start to see the fly take shape here!
As you tie the foam in, if for whatever reason the shape looks off to you, now’s the time to adjust. Any scraggly ends can be clipped, or if it’s too big you can trim as needed.
Add Legs
On the base of that foam, tie in a couple legs on each side. As mentioned above, I like to keep these pretty long at first. This allows those legs to really dangle and dance. When the fly is completed, you can always trim them to length after the whole fly is finished.
Repeat Steps (Chenille, Foam, Legs)
Once we’ve done one section of chenille, foam, and legs, we’re gonna keep that pattern going. After that first section, repeat with a few wraps of chenille, a foam disc, and legs.
The number of times we can repeat this will depend on the length of the fly shank. On a size 1 B10S, I am usually able to get 3 sections complete. If you use a bigger hook or one with a longer shank, you may be able to get more in. On smaller hooks, 2-3 may be the max.
I wouldn’t worry about jamming too many sections on the fly. This pattern will float just fine! Just repeat those steps as many times as you’d like and you’ll have an effective, cool-looking topwater pattern.
Adjust As Necessary
After those sections are complete and the fly is whip-finished, make any final adjustments you’d like. This can be trimming the legs, adding glue, whatever you want. I like to glue the foam pieces together for some added durability.
If you used a lighter color for the foam, you can also color the fly however you’d like. Throw some dots on there for a froggy pattern, streaks for a lateral line- let your creativity run wild.
