Gurgler
Also called Gurgler fly, Foam gurgler
A Gurgler is a foam-headed saltwater streamer that pushes water and makes a soft “bloop” when stripped, like a small baitfish or waking plug.
- Group
- Saltwater patterns
- Category
- Flies & fly types
- Level
- Intermediate
- Water
- Saltwater
Last updated
What Gurgler means
Foam does the work on a Gurgler. A strip of closed-cell foam is tied over the top of the hook and folded forward to form a cupped lip, so the fly rides high and throws a little wake.
Most Gurglers are tied on saltwater hooks and dressed with bucktail, synthetic hair, or flash for a baitfish profile. They get fished with short strips and pauses.
Why it matters on the water
A Gurgler gives a topwater look without the commotion of a hard popper. That matters on calm flats, slick bays, and clear beach water where fish will track a fly but shy away from a loud splash.
If the fish are looking up but not committing, changing strip length and cadence on a Gurgler is often more productive than changing flies.
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Read next
- BaitfishSmall forage fish that predators eat, like minnows, shad, smelt, and mullet. In fly fishing, “baitfish” also means the food source a streamer is meant to imitate.
- PopperA popper is a topwater fly with a cupped or flat face that pushes water and makes a “pop” or bloop when stripped.
- StreamerA streamer is a fly meant to be moved to imitate a baitfish, leech, sculpin, or crayfish. It is often fished with strips, swings, or a steady retrieve, but it can also be dead-drifted.
- Strip setA strip set is a hook set made by pulling the fly line hard with the line hand while keeping the rod low, instead of lifting the rod tip.
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