Dahlberg Diver
Larry Dahlberg's Diver is one of the most innovative surface flies ever designed. Its deer hair head with a distinctive collar lip causes the fly to dive and gurgle when stripped — then pop back to the surface on the pause. This action mimics a wounded frog or baitfish with uncanny accuracy. Largemouth bass cannot resist the combination of surface disturbance and sub-surface diving. Cast to structure, let it rest, then strip hard to make it dive.
- Type
- streamer (Warmwater)
- Hook sizes
- #1–4
- Target species
- bass, panfish
- Difficulty
- advanced
- Best seasons
- spring, summer, fall
Materials
- hook: Wide-gap bass hook #1–4
- thread: White or tan 140-denier
- tail: Chartreuse or white marabou with Flashabou
- legs: Barred rubber legs
- body: Natural deer hair, spun and trimmed
- collar: Contrasting deer hair collar (diving lip)
Tying steps
- Mount a size 1–4 hook; start thread and wrap to bend.
- Tie in a full marabou tail with 4 strands of Flashabou at the bend.
- Add rubber legs alongside the marabou for extra action.
- Spin dense deer hair from the bend to the 2/3 mark for the body.
- Spin a band of deer hair in contrasting color at the 2/3 mark as the diving collar.
- Continue spinning deer hair to the eye for the head.
- Trim the body hair short and blend; leave the collar long and splay downward at 45 degrees.
- Trim the head into a rounded bullet shape with the collar forming the diving lip.
- Whip finish and apply epoxy to the thread wraps at the eye.