Mark Knapp 0 Report post Posted January 23 As we all know, the soft jell squirmy wormies we use in some fly patterns can be a challenge to control when tying a fly. They are so soft that they pinch easily, don't like to lie correctly and are easily cut off by the thread. Another problem is, they don't glue well. Every head cement or adhesive I have just melts through them. These are some of the things I do to alleviate these problems. Use lose wraps on the wormies so as not to cut through them. Tie down wormies with flat thread, floss or chenille to reduce the chance of the tie down cutting through the wormy. Tension of the tie down material is used to control the lay of the wormy. We make the wraps just tight enough to hold the wormy down to the desired location but not tight enough to pinch it and make it bulge away from the hook shank. Center wraps can be tighter to grip the wormy but edge wraps are looser to. I do not apply head cement or adhesive directly to the rubber wormy material. Materials; Appropriate size thin wire, curved, hook for your target fish. 3/0 flat thread or floss in a color of your choice. Tail- squirmy wormy Body- Medium chenille Hackle- Soft hackle, any color. Lay down a floss/thread base from one hook-eyes width from the eye to the start of the bend. Then, using loose wraps, tie down a section of squirmy wormy, about as long as the hook to extend past the curve of the hook half of the hooks length. Lose wraps are used to keep from cutting off the wormy. Try to keep the rubber worm on top of the hook as it will try to crawl around the hook shank. Disregard the lie of the rubber at this point. Next remove about one hook shank's length of fluff from the chenille, tie the end of the chenille in at the center of the hook..... and loosely wrap the bare thread from the chenille back to the start of the curve of the hook, all the while pulling the wormy toward you to keep it on top of the hook. The start of the chenille fluff and the wormy should meet at the start of the curve of the hook. Wrap the chenille over the wormy in tight enough wraps so that it holds the wormy down parallel to the shank but not so tight that it pinches the wormy and causes it to point upward from the shank. Wraps can be tighter as you wrap toward the eye of the hook. Tie down the chenille one hook-eye width from the eye. Do all of this while controlling the lay of the wormy with the left hand. Tie in the chosen soft hackle ahead of the chenille top end first with the fronds curved toward the fly. Wrap the hackle around the shank to form a sparse collar. Tie down the hackle, with the fly up-side-down, apply some Zap-a-gap or similar along the bottom of the fly on the chenille wraps to link them together. Apply some head cement and go fishing. The San Juan Worm is very similar. Thin wire curved hook. Body - squirmy wormy Medium Chenille. 3/0 floss or flat thread Remove some fluff from the end of the chenille and tie it in at the center of the hook shank. Lay the squirmy wormy on the top of the hook shank and tie it in with loose floss wraps. Just the weight of the bobbin is holding the wormy in place. Wrap the chenille from the curve of the hook toward the eye of the hook. Adjust the wormy and the chenille tension to get the lay you want.Tie it off by tying just the chenille down under the wormy. With the hook up-side-down, apply Zap-a-gap along the bottom of the fly to link the chenille wraps together. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ksevigny 0 Report post Posted January 23 Thank you Mark!! Makes sense now. I will try that figure out how to post pics of my hopeful improvements Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RickZieger 0 Report post Posted January 23 Also tye them perpendicular to the hook. Crazy twist on the drop and gills like it. Rick Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mudfish620 0 Report post Posted January 27 Great tips, thanks for taking the time to share! Will take your advice tomorrow at the tying bench! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fruitrollup 0 Report post Posted February 2 Here is a different approach that allows you to reuse the hook if the squirmy material is nibbled off Hook: Umpqua U555, Size14 Bead: 3.8 mm Slotted Thread: 70 to 100 DN Body: Span Flex or Life Flex; worm material of choice Note: Use your scissors to slide in and open the loop when you thread the worm on the hook Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
