Zug Bug

Search on the internet for “top ten nymphs” and as a result you will find that there are several top ten or top twelve lists of nymph fly patterns for fly fishing for trout. Most anglers will agree with many of the entries on the lists or will utilize those lists as great advice. As your experiences with nymphs grow, you will gravitate toward your own “top ten nymphs” or your own “go to nymphs” for “searching nymphs” fly patterns to try in pursuit of trout when there is no topwater action. The simple, single material Pheasant Tail Nymph is likely the first nymph you learned to tie or use. The top five in the southeast in our opinion include the Pheasant Tail, Hares Ear, Prince, Tellico and the Zug Bug. Millenniums would tout the Copper John and the Zebra Midge as high on the list. Based on a quick study of many opinions, here is a “top fifteen list” to consider:

1. Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear      2. Pheasant Tail or Frenche (PT with a hot spot collar)
3. Grey Nymph                      4. Zug Bug
5. Beaver                                 6. Zebra Midge
7. Kaufmann’s Stone              8. Prince
9. Tellico                                 10.Copper John
11.Split-Case Nymph             12.American March Brown Nymph
13.Rainbow Warrior               14.Lightening Bug
15.Scud

Zug Bug

During the 1940s, the Zug Bug was utilized both in Yellowstone National Park and in the Sierra Nevada high country very successfully by Arnold Gingrich who published his accolades for the fly pattern. The nymph was created to imitate caddis larvae or cased-caddis. The wing-case not tied down in the rear gives a juvenile caddis-type wing appearance. Some believe the Zug Bug is a variation of the Kemp Bug. Regardless, it is considered “nymph candy” for pre-spawn large brown trout.

The “Zug” was originated by J. Cliff Zug of West Lawn, Pennsylvania in the 1930s for the Catskill streams and remains very popular in the northeastern region today. It merits our “top five searching nymph” and is listed as No. 4 in the above “top fifteen list”. The unique peacock swords tail creates an outstanding and we believe irresistible attraction for trout. This nymph fly pattern is a must have when you are prospecting for trout.

Fish the Zug Bug using the “high stick” method in faster runs. On slow moving streams, fish the fly pattern near the bottom as a dead drift. The fly pattern also makes a very good stillwater attractor as a dropper behind a woolly bugger or leech streamer. We believe the three peacock swards may also appear as the tail of a damsel nymph in slow waters or still waters.

Flies of the Month 9.17
Zug Bug

Zug Bug

Hook : Tiemco 5212 or equivalent – size 12,14,16,18
Thread : Black Uni 8/0 black or equivalent
Tail: Peacock Herl
Abdomen: Peacock herl with silver tinsel rib
Wingcase : Lemon Wood Duck flank feather
Hackle : Hungarian Partridge

I keep a box of wood duck and other soft hackles that have been used to make a soft hackle flies in smaller sizes, and therefore, not much of the feather is used. They come in handy for legs and perfect for flies like this one

Debarb and mount the hook in the vise. Begin thread wraps about one third back from the eye. Advance the thread to one third from the hook bend in tight touching turns. Let the bobbin hang

Select three peacock herl feathers and tie the tail, which is approximately the length of the hook shank. Tie in securely above the hook barb and keeping the herl on top of the hook shank, advance the thread in tight touching turns to the thorax. This will add a little more bulk to the abdomen. Return the thread in tight touching turns to the hook bend and let the bobbin hang
Select a silver tinsel strand and tie in at the one third mark from the hook eye. Advance the flashabou and thread to the hook bend. Let the bobbin hang
Select three peacock herl feathers and tie in at the bend. After securing the herl, advance the thread to the one third mark and let the bobbin hang. Begin tying in the herl feathers like tying in a rooster hackle. Don't twist them. Keep them aligned and in touching turns as you advance the herl to the one third mark. Tie off and trim away the waste. Let the bobbin hang
Wrap the silver tinsel in open turns to the thread and tie off securely, trim waste and let the bobbin hang
Select a brown partridge feather and tie in. In making a soft hackle wrap with most any feather, the best method is to pull back nearly all of the barbs from the tip. This will leave a few barbs to tie in with. Cut the small "tie in" barbs to form a small triangle. This will help anchor the hackle. Tie this triangle in with two or three firm wraps with the feather's natural curve facing the hook shank. This will allow the barbs to wrap around the hook. Using hackle pliers to wrap is essential. Begin the hackle wraps at the point where the peacock herl has stopped and make no more than two full wraps in tight touching turns. Tie off the partridge with two or three wraps and cut away the waste. Make several more wraps to secure the hackle and gently stroke the barbs back toward the hook bend. Let the bobbin hang
Select a wood duck flank feather. The base section of the wood duck will make the wing case. This is not a normally used part of the feathers. The part used is not barred particularly well and is nearly white in color. When tying in, be observant of the thickness of the stem and tie in at a thin portion. Once secure with two or three thread wraps, trim the wood duck by cutting straight across to from a triangle.
Finish by forming a nice, tapered head and tie off with a whip finish