San Juan Worm Fly Pattern
The San Juan Worm
As fly fishers we don't want to admit it but..........fish eat worms, after all these adams and royals and pheasant tails and hares ears and were going back to a worm?!?!?! Bass, bream, trout steelhead they all eat em, and however the novelty is greater when a fish is caught on a sz16 baetis sometimes you just got to pull one of these out of your box and get the job done!
Materials:
Hook: Scud hooks sz16-sz4
Thread: 6/0 UNI Thread
Body: Chenille micro-medium depending on hook size
Step 1: Start thread and wrap back far into the bend past the hook point. Try to thoroughly cover the hook with thread wraps
Step 2: Cut a 2"-3" piece of Chenille and tie in one end of it in where you stopped your thread. Make sure to leave a half inch of material as the tail off the back.
Step 3: Pull all of the chenille back towards the bend of the hook, then wrap your thread forward until two eye spaces behind the eye of the hook.
Step 4: Pull the front half of the chenille forwards and tie it in and trim the excess.
Step 5: Pull back the chenille again and wrap forward to behind the eye. Build a thread head and whip finish.
Step 6: This is the "secret step" most guys never figure out and its the step that makes the fly most realistic. Do this to both the front and back tag ends, take a lighter and very quickly pass the ends through the flame. This will give a realist taper to the ends.
This pattern is really effective after a rain when the water is high and washing dirt and worms
into the water. Other great colors include green, red, and white. You can also get crazy and add a few "worms" to one hook.
