Favorite Flies: Gurgler

I would say that when I've gone out lately (mostly to fish for sea trout over grass flats or snook in the mangroves) the first fly I tie on is the gurgler. It's light, easy to cast, floats well, and produces great topwater strikes. Because it's really just the foam with that cupped lip that makes it a gurgler, you can tie it with an endless variety of body and tail materials. I'll often tie mine with a marabou tail, so no matter how slow I fish it or how little I move it, the fly always has that wavy, undulating motion.  I've seen some ugly gurglers out there, but also some really nice ones. I'm sure they all work fine, but I think it's more satisfying to tie and fish a good-looking fly. Some of the prettiest ones I've seen (such as the one below) are on 239flies.com.