The San "Bomb" Worm

     Some anglers and fly tiers absolutely hate worm patterns. A common rationale for this being they are too much like bait that lesser anglers might chuck with their Ugly Sticks. I completely understand their aversion to live bait fishing and live bait fisherman, but bait fisherman also use live crayfish and shiner minnows. Imitations of these "baits" however don't garner anywhere near the same disgust that a worm pattern does. So what gives? I think that anglers dismiss them because most worm patterns are painfully simple and require limited skill to tie. There's a reason the classic San Juan Worm is included in nearly every beginners guide to fly tying! It's a far cry from a fully dressed salmonfly but it's effectiveness far exceeds it's simplicity. 

     We all know that simple flies catch fish and let's not forget that a fair amount of know-how is needed in order to fish them properly. Regardless of how you feel about them, novices as well as pro's can benefit from having a few red and pink worm patterns in their box. I came up with my San "Bomb" Worm while tying some flies for my last outing of 2013. Snowmelt had significantly bumped the flows up and stained the water slightly so I knew it would be a good idea to bring a few worm patterns along. It did the trick and netted me my last trout of the year. It may look like a standard San Juan Worm but hidden under the flashy dubbing is a Ribbed Tungsten Scud Body from Hareline. The pink dubbing acts like a giant hot-spot in stained water and the tungsten body ensures it will plummet to the depths in the heaviest of flows. Once it gets wet the ribbing of the scud body shines through for an added effect. I also added a tiny bit of Clear Cure Goo Hydro at the base of the chenille where it touches the hook to stiffen it slightly preventing it from fouling around the hook gap.

-The San "Bomb" Worm-

Hook: Partridge CZN sz.16

Thread: Red 8/0

Worm: Red Standard Chenille (Singe the ends)

UnderBody: X-Small Hareline Ribbed Tungsten Scud Body With A Layer Of Lead Foil For Good Measure!

OverBody: Big Horn Pink Wapsi Sow-Scud Dubbing