Redneck Killer Bug Tutorial (an earth worm for Earth Day)

[swellcat]

A lot of worms would be washed into the creeks when we'd get heavy rain. Drifting a worm near the opening of a small creek would usually be rewarded with a nice fish.

You said it while I was composing it in my head. Yes, fishing the fresh inflows—where the ditch meets the creek; where the creek runs into the reservoir—is a classic channel catfish scenario. The fly ought to be worth flinging to carp, too.

One question about movement: do you see this as a static pattern, as in a dead-drifting, drowned worm? Tumbling in the current or retrieval action (in stillwater) will impart enough motion?

Would an extension of yarn or chenille—a free-moving "tail"—add anything besides hook-fouling potential?

[William Anderson]

Ray, I'm not surprised to see so much discussion of such a simple pattern. It really is a nicely conceived and potentially deadly little pattern. Very cool and the thought of kids taking to it is a nice one. Nice post.
w

[daringduffer]

I remember reading a scientific survey of fish food in a large creek/small river not far from where I live. A dual digit percentage were worms and these worms were not terrestrial. Can't find it right now, obviously.

dd

[Old Hat]

We used to do a kids fishing pond at the local sportsmans show. They would give us power bait to use but it cloudied up the water so bad by the second day and the place stunk. We started to just wrap pheasant tail around a hook and called it the pellet fly. Looked just like hatchery fish pellets. Worked better than the power bait and was much cleaner.

[letumgo]

swellcat - I have not fished this yet, so I'm not sure what sort of movement the fly will have. I am hoping that it rides curved side down, and will flip on it's side when it touches bottom. This should give sufficient motion to attract attention and hopefully make the pattern somewhat snag resistant. I was also thinking of tying these on surpentine shaped hooks, but couldn't find them in my hook boxes (I swore I had some, but where they are is anyone's guess).

Carl - Only a redneck fishes pellet flies. I will add some to my box. Thanks for the new pattern.

[hankaye]

Ray, Howdy;

Excellent! Does it arrive at the water's side in it's own Savarin Coffee can?

I'm inclined to agree with what Jeff mentioned back on pg.1 about moving this to the SBS
and tutorials section, very appropriate imo.

hank

[letumgo]

Hank/Jeff - I was reluctant to add it to the tutorial section because this was not a soft hackle pattern. I guess, if you squint really hard, you could consider this an "imitative wingless wet", but that's a real stretch. I figured I'd be laughed off the forum, even by posting it here. I'm glad you guys liked the tutorial.

Does anyone else have an opinion?

[Mataura mayfly]

Well that is bollocks.
Have a good look at the book I sent you and you will see I am well used to nymph patterns that have nothing more than a tuft of throat hackle- or no hackle at all.
Are they any less of a fly than a North Country spider? Less of a fly than a scud, shrimp or killer bug?

Your worm is a genuine suggestion of what a trout may find in the water and treat as food- just like most all fly patterns are.
There is an awful lot of egg yarn sold in NZ........ are egg patterns flies? Come this time of the year they catch fish better than most other patterns.....
Is there not a famous river over that side of the Pacific where a certain way of moving your feet whilst wading (shuffle) has been banned? Are there not may many patterns used to imitate than type of worm?

If you cannot post something like your "Killer Tup Worm" in the tutorial section for fear of being laughed off the forum, we might as well all become dry fly elitists!

[redietz]

... we might as well all become dry fly elitists!

Not that! Dry flies are beneath me.

[Smuggler]

... we might as well all become dry fly elitists!

Not that! Dry flies are beneath me.