"True Woolly Worm"

[anglerdave]

Wet flies fall into a catagory of flies that mostly represent real insects, but are not really nymphs - a stage somewhere between nymph and emerging to a winged form. Most are fished like nymphs. Methods for fishing each are included here. Wet flies are very old patterns, dating back to the era before winged flies were used. The first description of the Woolly Worm was described in a 16th century book, The Art of Angling by Thomas Barker. The following list is in order of importance:

Brown Hackle Peacock.

Gray Hackle Yellow.

"True" Woolly Worm.

Brown Woolly Worm.

Black Woolly Worm.

Gray-Brown Woolly Worm.

Olive Woolly Worm.

Hare's Ear.

Black Ant.

Coachman.

from American Fly Fishing, by Paul Schullery. Lyons & Burford Publishers 1987

"In about 1933 Californian Don Martinez began spending his summers at a tiny shop in West Yellowstone. According to some accounts Martinez actually had a degree in limnology [the scientific study of bodies of freshwater (as lakes)], but at least he had acquaintance with such worldly notions as dry flies and accurate imitation. he developed many patterns, including cranefly larvae, stonefly nymphs, and caddis dries, but is now best remembered as originator of the modern form of the Woolly Worm, In 1940 he sent one to Preston Jennings, and his notes to Jennings on the fly are part of one of the most fascinating correspondences in American angling history:

'This horrible looking grub, "Wooley-worm", is a made over bass and croppie fly. Properly fished it is murderous all season long. I made and sold as many of these things as all other flies combined last summer. I hate the looks of them and consider them more a lure than a fly, but they have had a boom for the two seasons last past with no sign of a let up. they should be used only in still or very slow water, fished deep, with a twitching of the line by the left hand. the movement of the hackle is what gets 'em, suggesting perhaps the waving breathing apparatus of the Mayfly nymphs and others.'



[This message has been edited by Steven H. McGarthwaite (edited 20 July 2006).]

[Bear742]

This discussion was interesting and thorough. All I can add is a question,"Do Woolly Worms with a propellor on the front qualify as flies?"

Mike

[McManus]

Was this original wooly tied on a streamer hook, with black chenille, grizzly hackle and a red yarn tail?

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McManus:

From what I can tell from a black and white photo of an original Don Martinez "Woolly Worm" The body is some dark shade of chenille (may Olive or Brown), the tail is Grizzly (I see barred hackle) and there is Grizzly (barred hackle) wrap so the hackle is facing forward. I think I also see some ribbing of floss or some tinsel. The tread is dark. The hook looks like a 2XL Wet Fly Hook. ~Parnelli