The Farnsworth  Fly Returns!

Great news! The famous Farnsworth Fly is back in production – and better than ever.

My friend Phil designed this deadly fly many years ago back when we fished the New England coast. It quickly became a go-to pattern especially for striped bass feeding near the surface. As soon as we heard stripers “popping” sand eels or silvesides we slid a Farnsworth Fly over their heads. Wham – instant hookup.  It also worked as a searching pattern. The wake it creates on the surface inevitably draws fish up to investigate. In both types of fishing, the fly produces a surface strike. And we all know surface strikes are double the fun.

I use the fly mainly with a “hand-over-hand” retrieve to produce a steady “v” waked across the top. Fish love it. But you could also “strip” the fly back causing it to lightly “pop”. In a rip you even have a third choice. Simply allow the Farnsworth Fly to swing downcurrent on a tight line with a slow retrieve. Expect violent strikes.

The original fly was  built with a bucktail tail. It worked okay, but face it, bucktail doesn’t have much action. The new Farnsworth Fly employs has a soft plastic tail that wiggles, vibrates and churns up the water. All of which cranks up the action. And that new tail can be swapped out and replaced if need be. Cool idea. Moreover, unlike the original fly which came in silver or white, the new fly is available in a wide range of attractive colors.

How many different species can you catch on a Farnsworth Fly? Endless. I know from personal experience it will catch Atlantic bonito, false albacore, striped bass, bluefish, redfish, snook, spotted seatrout, tarpon, largemouth bass and pike. Besides the Farnsworth Fly’s website, you can see the new fly on Instagram and Facebook