Fly of the Month 05.12
Inchworm
RRTU is pleased to announce that Alen Baker has agreed to partner with Tom Adams and continue the Fly of the Month series beginning with this issue. We want to thank Tim Wilhelm for tirelessly partnering with Tom for the last two years and bringing his insight into the world of tying flies. Of course Tim is not going anywhere as we expect that he will next focus on other articles for the newsletter including but not limited to rod-building. Thanks Tim for all you do for coldwater conservation and RRTU!
This “fly of the month” represents the first in the Alen Baker/Tom Adams series.
Inchworms
North Carolina trout streams are cooled by a canopy that provides a generous diet of terrestrials that includes inchworms. Higher gradient, well canopied streams have less aquatic insects due to the scouring effects of spring flooding. With fewer aquatic insects trout are highly dependent on the canopy that provides terrestrials. Ants, beetles and hopper flies have typically been the most popular terrestrial imitations utilized by fly fishermen. Experienced anglers may well include inchworms among the most popular. These terrestrials are generally the most abundant during the warmer months of each year.
An inchworm gets its general name from the little one inch size caterpillars that we find walking on limbs with a “grand arch”, covering about an inch with each step of their unusual means of travel. We also see inchworms suspended on their silk line. Some of these caterpillar species are much bigger than an inch and some are smaller. Some caterpillar species are fuzzy and look nothing like what we consider to be inchworms so we typically tie a woolly worm or crackle back pattern to imitate them.
This month we will focus only on the “inchworm” like caterpillar pattern. The most noticeable color inchworms found are chartreuse or insect green, very bright greens that blend with the new leaves of spring. As we move into the summer and fall seasons, inchworm colors tend to be brown or grayish-tan, very dull earth tones that blend with the bark and limb colors. Inchworm patterns as with any terrestrial pattern may be fished dry or wet. Typically, the pattern is tied with materials that will float if greased with floatant and sink readily once soaked when no floatant is applied.
One of the most original fly patterns for an inchworm is based on using deer hair tied laterally along the hook shank. These patterns look as much like a stick as they do an inch worm but they float really well due to the hollow deer hair. Tying an inchworm in the style of an San Juan Worm allows the tyer to create a more worm-like imitation and even imitate the“grand arch” if so desired.
My first experience with the inchworm pattern was with Bo Cash. He ties his “greenie weenie” pattern and fishes the inchworm as a dropper to a Wulff or elk hair caddis dry fly.
We were fishing the remote headwaters of Wilson Creek in August and he specifically wanted to show me how aggressive a trout would hit his “greenie weenie”. The brown trout in this remote stream are very wary and even more so in August in low water conditions. From below a nice, still water pool, he carefully placed his elk hair caddis and “greenie-weenie” dropper to the far left side of the pool just short of the moving run of water coming into the pool. Bo says “now what this!” Out of a dark area against a large rock to the far right side of the pool, you could clearly see this wave head straight across the pool in a bee line toward the two flies. The “greenie weenie” was slowly sinking slightly as he meant for it to look natural (terrestrials often struggle on the surface, floating for a few minute until they drown and slowly sink). Bamm!!! A nice 11 inch wild brown trout hit the “greenie weenie” and made it his own. The trout had traveled 6-8 feet across the pool for his prey. I was stunned and amazed that any trout would travel that far for a take - especially in the slow, dog days of summer when the water temperatures are near lethal levels for trout.
I try to recreate that day of fishing every August now.
Fly of the Month 05.12 Inchworm
Hook: Mustad 37160 or equivalent
Thread: Uni 8/0 or equivalent in Chartreuse
Abdomen/Thorax: Chartreuse Chenille
The directions and photos are of the Mustad curved hook, it can be substituted with equal fishing effectiveness with any number of wet fly hooks.
The directions are for the simplest method, that works and it was so simple I had to add to it. Do not feel the need unless you can’t stand it. Catches more fisherman than fish.
Directions:
1) Thread wrap toward the bend, from three eyelengths from the eye to a point in line with the hook eye. Let the bobbin hang.
2) Select a two or three inch length of chenille and using scissors or fingernails, strip the chenille from the core thread. Expose about an eighth of an inch and tie in by the exposed chenille thread.
3) Advance the thread to the eye and wrap the chenille forward to three eyelengths from the eye and tie off. Trim the excess chenille and tie in a head. Apply head cement.
See how easy this is. Takes about five minutes. I added an ostrich herl for spikes and peacock herl for the head. That adds about two more minutes. I have observed a color variation in the field that was present simultaneously with the bright green and offered a tan as an alternate. Good luck !
Other fly patterns include Inchworm Mustard, Inchworm Peacock, Inchworm Tan, Inchworm Wet
- Tom Adams, Alen Baker
Inchworm
RRTU is pleased to announce that Alen Baker has agreed to partner with Tom Adams and continue the Fly of the Month series beginning with this issue. We want to thank Tim Wilhelm for tirelessly partnering with Tom for the last two years and bringing his insight into the world of tying flies. Of course Tim is not going anywhere as we expect that he will next focus on other articles for the newsletter including but not limited to rod-building. Thanks Tim for all you do for coldwater conservation and RRTU!
This “fly of the month” represents the first in the Alen Baker/Tom Adams series.
Inchworms
North Carolina trout streams are cooled by a canopy that provides a generous diet of terrestrials that includes inchworms. Higher gradient, well canopied streams have less aquatic insects due to the scouring effects of spring flooding. With fewer aquatic insects trout are highly dependent on the canopy that provides terrestrials. Ants, beetles and hopper flies have typically been the most popular terrestrial imitations utilized by fly fishermen. Experienced anglers may well include inchworms among the most popular. These terrestrials are generally the most abundant during the warmer months of each year.
An inchworm gets its general name from the little one inch size caterpillars that we find walking on limbs with a “grand arch”, covering about an inch with each step of their unusual means of travel. We also see inchworms suspended on their silk line. Some of these caterpillar species are much bigger than an inch and some are smaller. Some caterpillar species are fuzzy and look nothing like what we consider to be inchworms so we typically tie a woolly worm or crackle back pattern to imitate them.
This month we will focus only on the “inchworm” like caterpillar pattern. The most noticeable color inchworms found are chartreuse or insect green, very bright greens that blend with the new leaves of spring. As we move into the summer and fall seasons, inchworm colors tend to be brown or grayish-tan, very dull earth tones that blend with the bark and limb colors. Inchworm patterns as with any terrestrial pattern may be fished dry or wet. Typically, the pattern is tied with materials that will float if greased with floatant and sink readily once soaked when no floatant is applied.
One of the most original fly patterns for an inchworm is based on using deer hair tied laterally along the hook shank. These patterns look as much like a stick as they do an inch worm but they float really well due to the hollow deer hair. Tying an inchworm in the style of an San Juan Worm allows the tyer to create a more worm-like imitation and even imitate the“grand arch” if so desired.
My first experience with the inchworm pattern was with Bo Cash. He ties his “greenie weenie” pattern and fishes the inchworm as a dropper to a Wulff or elk hair caddis dry fly.
We were fishing the remote headwaters of Wilson Creek in August and he specifically wanted to show me how aggressive a trout would hit his “greenie weenie”. The brown trout in this remote stream are very wary and even more so in August in low water conditions. From below a nice, still water pool, he carefully placed his elk hair caddis and “greenie-weenie” dropper to the far left side of the pool just short of the moving run of water coming into the pool. Bo says “now what this!” Out of a dark area against a large rock to the far right side of the pool, you could clearly see this wave head straight across the pool in a bee line toward the two flies. The “greenie weenie” was slowly sinking slightly as he meant for it to look natural (terrestrials often struggle on the surface, floating for a few minute until they drown and slowly sink). Bamm!!! A nice 11 inch wild brown trout hit the “greenie weenie” and made it his own. The trout had traveled 6-8 feet across the pool for his prey. I was stunned and amazed that any trout would travel that far for a take - especially in the slow, dog days of summer when the water temperatures are near lethal levels for trout.
I try to recreate that day of fishing every August now.
Fly of the Month 05.12 Inchworm
Hook: Mustad 37160 or equivalent
Thread: Uni 8/0 or equivalent in Chartreuse
Abdomen/Thorax: Chartreuse Chenille
The directions and photos are of the Mustad curved hook, it can be substituted with equal fishing effectiveness with any number of wet fly hooks.
The directions are for the simplest method, that works and it was so simple I had to add to it. Do not feel the need unless you can’t stand it. Catches more fisherman than fish.
Directions:
1) Thread wrap toward the bend, from three eyelengths from the eye to a point in line with the hook eye. Let the bobbin hang.
2) Select a two or three inch length of chenille and using scissors or fingernails, strip the chenille from the core thread. Expose about an eighth of an inch and tie in by the exposed chenille thread.
3) Advance the thread to the eye and wrap the chenille forward to three eyelengths from the eye and tie off. Trim the excess chenille and tie in a head. Apply head cement.
See how easy this is. Takes about five minutes. I added an ostrich herl for spikes and peacock herl for the head. That adds about two more minutes. I have observed a color variation in the field that was present simultaneously with the bright green and offered a tan as an alternate. Good luck !
Other fly patterns include Inchworm Mustard, Inchworm Peacock, Inchworm Tan, Inchworm Wet
- Tom Adams, Alen Baker