Chuck Bug

Minor variation on the Gartside Sparrow; use the butt ends (wrapped) of the marabou for the body, palmered with grizzly dyed olive hackle. Don’t fish streamers that much any more, but last time I checked, it still got the fishes interest. Have had real good luck with this for trout in the east and west; smallies like it, too. Named after my neighbor, who first showed it to me after (not before, mind you - lol ) he absolutely schooled a number of supposedly wary trout on a well-known PA spring creek with this fly.

hook - Mustad 36890 (salmon hook not required but makes it look a bit classier)
thread - UTC 160 olive-brown
tail - marabou blood olive
body - butt ends of marabou, wrapped
rib - copper wire small
body hackle - saddle olive/grizzly
collar hackle - pheasant rump
head - pheasant aftershaft feather

Part 1

attach thread to hook, wrap back to the bend, tying wire rib in

tie in marabou feather, let the tail extend about 1 shank length

grab butt ends (the feather’s, not yours) & twist into a rope/chenille

wrap forward and tie off at head. Chuck’s original was tied with a floss body, which made for a skinny fly. I like it a bit meatier so go with the marabou, the same way I tie most of my Buggers (actually the fly up to the pheasant rump collar is pretty much a Bugger); also makes for a faster tie.

tie in saddle hackle (webbier the better) at head

wrap back to the tail

then wrap wire rib forward through hackle (trim hackle at tail and wire at front)

prep a pheasant rump feather, stripping away excess fuzz

then pull back feather barbules leaving a few at the tip for tie-in

tie in rump feather at tip with dull side up (don’t trim it until the feather’s been wrapped; otherwise it may pull out)

Part 2

wet fingers, stroke fibers back

wrap rump feather forward and tie off

split thread (UTC is great for this app)

insert aftershaft feather (makes it a bit more durable)

spin loop to trap feather & create “chenille”

wet fingers, stroke feather chenille back, wrap forward

tie off at head and brush with Miss Sally

finished fly

Pretty easy fly to tie and ugly ones work just as well as “keepers”. Tan, brown and black have been good colors, too.

Regards,
Scott

Scott, very nice SBS… looks like a winner all the way around…

Man, that is one ugly fly so, it will fish great. Bass have no taste in what the eat anyway. Nice job.

Scott -

Excellent presentation of a good looking and productive fly.

This one would make a great FOTW. It probably would take a matter of minutes to “repackage” it and email the components to Neil. If you want some help on how to go about doing that, let me know.

John

I like the looks of the marabou body wrap so much I’d tie some without the body hackle… very nice.

Still have those instructions you sent me previously.

thx,
Scott