Several times recently, when talking about rubber leg stonefly nymphs, I’ve mentioned that I think they are taken as worms as often as they are stonefly nymphs. That observation always gets some looks.
A couple days ago I tied up a worm on a size 8 Dai-Riki 280 2XL Hopper hook, weighted with 20 wraps of .25 non lead wire and using only a chocolate brown chenile for the body. Yesterday I fished it, under very unfavorable conditions, on the East Fork of the Bitterroot. Had on one good sized trout and lost it and then took a 15" cutthroat that wiggled free at my feet ( still in the water ) while I was fiddling with the camera.
Today at the Grizzly Hackle in Missoula I saw some Tiemco 400T swimming nymph hooks in size 8 on sale. Hmmmmmm … Nice shape for a worm.
Think I’ll go fishing.
John
P.S. Undoubtedly someone else, some where, at some time has already done this worm. But I’ve never seen it before so I am taking the liberty of giving it a name.
P.S.1 I hope none of the folks in the Bitterroot take exception to or offense at the name. But that’s where the fly took its first fishies.
P.S.2 No apologies to the purists - and I intend to fish it under an indicator !!
I say you have another potential winner with that one! Can’t wait to hear your report on how it fishes. By the way, thanks for staying in touch the last few months. It’s alway good to hear from you. Sounds like the move to Montana’s treated you well so far?
I haven’t gone back to the thread yet on your pending “Spring Creek” adventure. Have you got your arsenal of flies put together?
John: Nice looking fly. I would like to to get you to tie a couple with bright colored thread for the head and let us know what you think. I think a red or orange head may be productive.
… but I kind of babied him instead of just horsing him in. Wanted to let him work off a bit of steam before I handled him so I was just standing there watching him about twenty feet away when he decided he had had enough. Went back to where he came from, probably.
But he was kind enough to leave the fly in one piece.
John
P.S. Oh yeah, I should mention that he was a gorgeous, fat, 18-19" rainbow that jumped a couple times, ran in circles when held in check, and pulled like a freight train.
P.S.1 Scott raised the question in a PM if I thought the fishies took the worm as a skwala nymph yesterday. My reply was that I don’t know if the fishies take a rubber legs stonefly nymph as a nymph or a worm, and I don’t know if they take the worm as a worm or a skwala nymph. What I do know is that the fly is simple, easy to tie, and has caught some really nice fish the past couple days. Maybe I’ll get some pics of the worm with a fish tomorrow when I go down to the West Fork of the Bitterroot for the first time.
P.S.2 Before I saw the Tiemco 400T hook this morning, I was considering doing an articulated worm. That is still a possibility. Thinking about using an unweighted natural bend hook for the back half and a weighted 400T for the front half. Should produce a more lifelike worm - longer and lots of wiggles.
With a tip of the hat to Norman and Panman, here’s the Bitterroot Worm 2.0. Shouldn’t have any problem articulating how this one was tied.
Since the rear section is only for show and, hopefully, movement, it is attached to the front hook with 2X tippet. After getting to the point shown in the third photo, wrap the tying thread forward to the end of the lead wraps, double the tippet over, and then wrap the thread back over the tippet to secure it in place.
About every fourth wrap of vernille, I took a couple thread wraps to secure it to the shank and strengthen the fly.
Will give this one a go on the West Fork of the Bitterroot tomorrow, along with the other version that I fished yesterday on the Bitterroot, and some rubber legs skwala nymphs. If I hit any water where I think a fishy might come up for a dry, Z’s skwala will see some action.
My best two flies are a thread only midge and a pine squirrel zonker only streamer. Hoping the B.W. will join the ranks of the simple, durable, and effectiive.
Rookie -
Thanks.
John
P.S. One reason to post flies like this is to remind people that fish food is really pretty simple stuff. Can’t recall ever seeing a midge larva with a wire rib on it, especially a silver one ?? And I watched a novice fish with my rig with the PSC one day after getting shut out on a clouser recommended by one of the guides at the local fly shop - he took six browns in about fifteen minutes out of the same small patch of water on the Henry’s Fork that he had worked with the clouser for half an hour or so.
WOW! Now I like the looks of that! I will be tying some of those tonight to try here. I have some variegated chenille that I want to use. One is tan & black and the other is black and olive. Thanks for sharing…
Couldn’t you just leave a long piece of the vermille extending back a la’ the san juan worm to give more movement without tying that extra tailer on V2 maybe? Just a thought.
Or, perhaps just a furled chenille tail? It would probably match the bulk of the wrapped body better than a single piece tail like a san juan worm. Just have to be careful about making it too long to the point where it wraps around the hook bend. I’m thinking it would give even more action and save a hook and be just as durable as long as the core of the chenille isn’t too fragile.
I’ve been thinking about trying that, Joe. I did try furling chenile a couple times in the past and it just didn’t work because of the bulk. I think the vernille I used on this fly might just furl well enough to make the extended and movable tail end of the worm.
Buddy -
I don’t think the vernille just hung off the hook would give a good proportion to the fly. Haven’t tried it, so I’m not sure. Another thing - I kind of had it in mind to do the articulated fly ( which I have never done before ) before I found the vernille and the articulated approach seemed the only likely way of making a longer worm with the chenile. So I just went ahead with the original plan and used the articulated approach.
Warren -
Fish it off a furled fluoro leader with a fluoro tippet, for sure !!
I got out the vernille this morning. Yes, it will furl very nicely.
Next time I tie up some worms, assuming the ones I have are successful, I’ll tie in a furled section for the extended tail. I think I will incorporate some fly tying thread in the furled section to rib and strengthen the extended tail.
My only concern is that the fly will lose some weight with this approach, and the main reason for tying a worm this way is to add enough weight to fish it by itself and get it down in faster currents rather than trailing it off a weighted nymph.
John
** Starting to remind me of the Ron Tidd FEB Worm from last summer.
Hooked eight trouts this afternoon on the East Fork with the B. W. but had trouble landing most of them. Wondering if this style hook may be part of the problem ??
Also hooked two trouts with the B. W. 2.0. Didn’t land either of them.
John
P.S. Sight fished the B. W. to some mountain whitefish on the West Fork but couldn’t seem to interest them. Also fished the water on another stretch of the West Fork with nothing to show for it.
