Fly Tying Inventory
Game Changer
Blane Chocklett's Game Changer is a multi-jointed baitfish built on a chain of articulated Fish-Spine shanks that get longer toward the head. Each spine is wrapped with his Body Wrap and the whole fly is trimmed so it tapers like a real minnow. Because every joint flexes, it swims in a lifelike S-curve on a slow, steady strip and keeps moving on the pause instead of tracking stiffly. This full-size version on a 4/0 stinger is built for pike, musky and big bass, unlike the trout-sized Game Changer Micro.
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Materials
White tying thread
White
Articulated Fish-Spine shanks, one each of 10mm, 15mm, 20mm and 25mm
10mm, 15mm, 20mm, 25mm
Short length of stiff wire, folded into a loop to join the hook to the last spine
Black
Chocklett's Body Wrap, white, cut into strips that get wider toward the head; a tuft of its fibres also forms the tail
White
3D prismatic stick-on eyes
Clear Cure Goo Tack Free Flex UV resin, to stiffen the tail and set the eyes
Clear Cure Goo Hydro thin UV resin, to lock thread wraps
How to Tie the Game Changer
- 1
Step 1
Clamp the 10mm spine in the vise, start the thread, and wrap over the shank so the wire tag is locked down flat.
- 2
Step 2
Tie in a short tuft of Body Wrap fibres at the rear of the spine and trim it into a small fan-shaped tail. Coat it lightly with Tack Free Flex and cure it with a UV light so it holds its shape.
A stiffened tail stays open and doesn't wrap around the spine when you cast.
- 3
Step 3
Cut a narrow strip of Body Wrap, about 1/4 in wide, and tie it in just in front of the tail. Wrap it forward in touching turns, stroking the fibres back after each turn. Tie off behind the eye, whip finish, and lock the wraps with Hydro.
- 4
Step 4
Pass the loop of the 15mm spine through the eye of the finished section, close it, and mount the new spine in the vise. Cover it with a slightly wider strip of Body Wrap in the same way.
Widening the strip on each section gives longer fibres toward the head, which builds the body's taper.
- 5
Step 5
Add the 20mm and then the 25mm spine the same way, using a wider strip on each one.
- 6
Step 6
Mount the B10S hook and lay a thread base. Lash a short piece of stiff wire along the shank, pass it through the eye of the 25mm spine to form the connecting loop, then tie down both legs and glue the wraps.
- 7
Step 7
Wrap the hook section with the widest strip of Body Wrap (about 1.75 in in the video), working up to just behind the eye. Tie off and whip finish.
- 8
Step 8
Brush all the fibres back, then trim the whole fly with scissors into a baitfish shape: deepest at the shoulders and narrowing to a slim wrist in front of the tail.
Take off a little at a time and check the profile from the side and from above.
- 9
Step 9
Fix a 3D eye on each side of the head with a small amount of UV resin and cure it.
Watch Tying Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zye6XSb75qk
Credit: Lawrence Clemens