Ground hogs are attempting to create mayhem in my garden. So I have set a “humane” trap and then dispatch them posthaste. So far I have removed 3 of the critters. After I disposed of the 2nd one it occured to me there may be a FF use for them. So the last one I harvested a patch and the tail which are curing in an undisclosed location (the wife said she better not accidently encounter them). The patch is esp neat, the hair is 3 color with contasting tips, and very clean for an undergound dweller. Anyone have a pattern that calls for woodchuck/groundhog?
Pocketpin I think is a GH pattern sorry do not have a picture…
Check out Peter Frailey’s fishingwithflies.com and look at his “Favorite Flies” section. He has some very good patterns there.
Bob Cramer, a guide on Mossy Creek in Virginia, tied a hopper made entirely from woodchuck; don’t have the pattern but I remembering tying up a few and they did work. There’s also the Woodchuck Caddis:
http://www.fishingwithflies.com/WoodchuckCaddis.html I use woodchuck tail for the tails on a lot of attractor dries I tie; used to use marmot but that supply ran out, trout don’t seem to care.
Regards,
Scott
http://globalflyfisher.com/patterns/woodchuck/
heres how i find fly patterns
GOOGLE “flies using woodchuck” (or other materials)
search the results or click on images
Groundhog is one of my favorite flytying materials. Especially the underfur. It’s almost transluscent and lends itself great to dubbing. You can certainly tan a hid. It is a bit tougher to manage though, because it is a very fatty hide and special care must be used when fleshing it out in order to make sure it doesn’t turn on you. Definitely doable though.
If you know any stinkbait catfishers, save the livers in a fridge as they’ll pay a premium price for something that stays on the hook better than any other livers !
Peter Frailey’s article is:
http://globalflyfisher.com/patterns/woodchuck/index.php
Hi Pillcaster,
The woodchuck caddis has a lot of woodchuck in it. The post above which list the “woodchuck caddis” is actually the “chuck caddis.” The woodchuck caddis pattern is a different pattern and is in the American Fly Tying Manual as follows:
Woochchuck Caddis:
Hook: Mustad 9671, 10-16
Thead: Brown
Tail: Ek hair fibers, split
Bib: Brown hackle, palmered
Body: Woodchuck fur (this is the underfur only)
Wing: Woodchuck tail
Hackle: Brown
The tail is the material called for in the improved sofa pillow from the same reference:
Improved Sofa Pillow:
Hook: Mustad 9672, 4-10
Tail: Orange dyed elk hair
Rib: Brown hackle, palmered
Body: Orange fur or synthetic
Wing: Woodchuck tail
Hackle: Brown
I have used both of the above patterns and they are effective, the woodchuck caddis I fished for a small dark caddis, and the improved sofa pillow is a very effective salmon fly dry. For what it’s worth, the Llama is a beautiful New England traditional hair wing streamer, and it looks really classy when tied in the traditional way.
Regards,
Gandolf
I tie and fish the Chuck Caddis regularly, with good results. It’s a very effective pattern. I also fish the Grundsow Nymph pattern below quite a bit. It is one of the most effective general search patterns I have in my box. Tied from #12 - #16.
The Grundsow Nymph originated while tying Chuck Caddis patterns. I was saving the underfur, and the naturally transluscent properties of it intrigued me. So I tied up a small pattern to try as a dropper fly on the Nisqually river. The fish killed it. And likewise everywhere I fished it. Many times, this simple pattern has saved my day on the water both fished as a dropper, and bounced along the bottom on it’s own. This pattern is also an absolute must have as a dropper fly for Bluegills.
Hook: Mustad 94840 #12
Thread: Black Uni-thread 6/0
Bead: Gold Tungsten
Abdomen: Groundhog underfur, spun in a waxed dubbing loop
Tail: Black Marabou tips
Thanks to all for the great info and websites. As an extremely beginner fly tyer I have been avoiding dubbing, but I have to try that Grundsow Nymph. It resembles the “golden retriever” I use a lot. Saltydave, the wife said no problem with putting GH livers in the frig, she said where ever I move to I can put anything I want in the frig 
I can only imagine the “golden retriever” origins:^) Good luck on finding an apartment with a big freezer:^)))
Its not what you think lol http://www.mossycreekflyfishing.com/flytyingvideos.aspx I have the best luck with gold and, believe it or not, pink for trout. Also root beer and white work sometimes too. But pink is the first color I try if fishing for trout, esp in stocked streams.
Ahhhh…now that I saw the video, I have seen that fly before somewhere. Nice pattern. I think I was shown it for Northeast Steelhead? You’re exactly right, same thing, only instead of the Estaz you create the dubbing brush and leave the underfur full length. Gives it almost a mohair affect, but the GH underfur has a property when wet that seems to work well. I’ll have to tie up some GR’s. :^)
More Woodchuck (Groundhog) fly patterns.
I really like the Grey Matter & Woodchuck Sally! Very interesting patterns!
Gandolf,
Ooops, my bad! Thanks for clarifying.
Regards,
Scott
Pillcaster, don't know how far down the valley you reside but if you have a whole lot of them I used to know a mom & pop grocery store on the C & O that lost it's supplier years ago & would probably take them out of your temporary "swamp cooler" to put up for sale in their "tackle box" on the Potomac !
I hosted a woodchuck fly swap a few years back.
Here’s the web page for it.
http://edengelman.com/Chuck/swap.html
Ed