The EZ-Bullet Head

By Ryan Haseman

Hook: 1260 Daiichi size 12-6

Body: Spirit River Brite Blend

(color to match the hatch)

Head/Wing: Elk or Deer Hair, Natural

Flash: Pearl mirror flash

Foam Patch: white closed cell foam

Legs: Pheasant Tail Fibers

Thread: 6/0 or 8/0 to match the hatch

Here is a fly that I have written about before. It is a lazy man’s bullet head that I created while fishing the Deschutes in the spring and summer. This fly has proven itself on many occasions in many different rivers. I am writing about it again because just by chance I found a new use for it.

About a month ago, while futzing around with my 6wt saltwater rod, the tip broke off of the rod. Dang! Never a good thing, especially coming into some prime saltwater fishing time. However, I didn’t get too upset because my rod has a lifetime warranty, which I have used with some of my other rods of the same make. The last time I sent a couple of rods in for repair, within a week or so I had my rods back good as new.

This time was different!! My fly rod has been aimlessly wandering around the United States for the last month.  I sent my broken rod via the United States Postal Service, first mistake, and I used an old cardboard tube I had lying around, second mistake. A couple of days after shipping it, I got a call from my neighbor/ mother -in-law. Turns out, my rod didn’t ship to the repair shop, the old cardboard tube I used had their address on it, and apparently wasn’t scratched out enough, so the postal service sent it there. Hmmm, okay, let’s try this again. I shipped it a seconds time, making sure to black out anything remotely resembling anything but its intended destination. There, now just a short week’s wait and I’ll have my rod back, right?… Wrong.

For the last month, I have been logging on to the USPS traking website to watch my fly rod go from Olympia, to Seattle, back to Olympia, down to Texas up through the South and it is now on the East coast in Maryland at my wife’s aunt’s house. WTF???? No one is quite sure how it ended up there, not even the post office. When she called me I was sure my wife was playing a joke on me. However, I am glad it ended up there; at least I can arrange to get it back!

Anyway, the reason I am telling you about the never ending journey of my 6wt fly rod, is to show you how I sort of fell into a new use for my EZ Bullet head fly. SINCE I didn’t have my 6wt fly rod I haven’t been fishing beaches much lately.  Instead I have been toting around my 5wt rod, and a box of trout flies (for rivers). While on an exploration trip for new places to fish, I decided to just check up on a beach I like on my way home. I grabbed my 5wt and trout stuff and decided I would wet wade if the fishing looked good.

While down at the beach I observed 2 other fly fishermen fishing with sinking and intermediate lines and something heavy on the end of their lines. Later on, I learned that they had been there for a few hours without a bite.

Just for the heck of it, I tied on my EZ bullet head fly and using a floating line started skating my fly across the current. Within 3 cast I had a fish on, and after about a half hour I had about 3 or 4 splashy takes. I wasn’t really surprised that it had worked, but I did learn something that day. Sometimes it is good to break away from what you know works, and try something different. I have a habit of always using my “go-to” flies and using my “go-to” techniques. Changing it up keeps the experiences fresh and exciting. There is more than one way to skin a cat, especially with cutthroat.