McTage's Leather Trouser Worm Carp Fly

Update 9/1/2011: The preliminary name of this fly was "Leather Head-Stand Carp Worm". The final
name is "McTage's Leather Trouser Worm Carp Fly". A fly gets a goofy name when it earns it!

This post gives the details on the leather version of the Trouser Worm. This is essentially the same
fly as the foam version except it uses the leather from a rabbit strip as the tail instead of foam.

The leather has some advantages over the foam. While the action on the foam version is stunning I
suspect it may occasionally be over-the-top for Carp in certain moods. The leather still has great
action but it is slightly more subtle. Using leather simplifies the process and there is something to be
said for natural materials.

There are also some disadvantages. If you are looking for a full-on headstand all the time then the
foam can't be beat. The leather loses a little buoyancy and drops the full headstand after it is fished
for a while. Fortunately It still falls, rides and lays hook-up and the leather usually sits slightly off the
bottom. This is probably good enough for most situations.

MATERIALS:

1. Hook: Size 8 Scud hook.

2. Bead: 3.25mm Tungsten (put on backwards)
3. Eyes: #6 Stainless bead-chain.
4. Body: Red Amnesia Mono filament
5. Tail: Red rabbit strip with the hair trimmed down to about 1/8" length

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McTage's Primordial Carp-Stew
The Primordial Carp-Stew is very similar to the Primordial Crust. I have caught about the same
number of fish on both so far, but I suspect that in the long run the Carp-Stew will turn out to be a
better CARP fly and the Crust a better general warm-water pattern.

The Crust did quite well for me on Carp this fall while the Carp-Stew has been surprisingly good in
the winter.

There are important differences. First of all the Carp-stew has just
a sparse beard of rabbit tied in at the front instead of a strip (with leather) the length of the fly. This
gives a lighter entry, a faster more balanced drop angle and significantly changes the action of the
fly. Secondly it is a much smaller fly with a wider profile relative to it's length. Both seem to fish
equally well on both the strip and the drop so far.

These are the three color combo's I am working with.

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MATERIALS:

 Thread: 140 Ultra-Thread

 Hook: Size 6 or 8 Gamakatsu SL45
 Eyes: 1/8" Dazzle Eyes
 Weight: 8 wraps of .025" lead behind the dumbell eyes
 Tail: 4 nymph sized sili rubber legs.
 Belly (opposite the hook): The 4 nymph legs pulled forward and over the valley in the dumbells.
 Body Aft: Swishers Rub-a-dub spun in a dubbing loop from the hook bend to 1/8" behind the
eyes.
 Body Fwd: A different color Hairs-ear or SLF dubbing between the Rub-A-dub and the eyes.
 Beard: Sparse tuft of rabbit tied in on the hook-side just in front of the eyes.

COLOR COMBOS:

 Orange/Brown:
o Brown sili legs
o Orange thread
o Orange rub-a-dub aft
o Bright orange rabbit dubbing fwd
o Brown rabbit beard.
 Olive:
o Olive sili legs
o Black thread
o Olive rub-a-dub aft
o Whitlocks squirrel SLF fwd
o Olive rabbit beard
 Tan:

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 o Light Brown sili legs
o Tan thread
o Tan rub-a-dub aft
o Whitlocks squirrel SLF fwd
o Natural pine-squirrel beard

DIRECTIONS:

 Tie in the Dazzle eyes well forward on the top of the hook.
 Add lead wraps on the hook shank between the hook-point and behind the Dazzle eyes.
 The rubber legs will be used both to create a splayed tail and the belly of the fly. Cut the rubber
legs about 3" long. Tie them in on the top of the hook shank so that half hangs forward and half
aft.
 The portion of the legs hanging forward is now in the way. Fold it back and over-wrap it a couple
of times. There will now be 8 rubber strands hanging backwards.
 Create a dubbing loop and fill about 2.5 to 3" of the loop with Swisher's Rub a Dub. Do not over-
fill the dubbing loop or the fly will come out extremely bulky.
 Spin the loop to create a bushy rope of fine rubber sili legs and dubbing.
 Wind the spun dubbing loop forward to within 1/8" of the dazzle eyes and tie off. Before each wind
brush back the material from the previous wind so that it is not over-wound. Do not trim the extra
thread in the dubbing loop.
 Add some dubbing (non rub-a-dub) with a different color to the extra thread from the dubbing loop
and spin tight. Wind this between the Rub-a-dub and the eyes so that this dubbing forces the fwd
part of the rub-a-dub back.
 Pick out as many of the fine black rubber strands as you can from the rub-a-dub.
 Using your hands or a dubbing brush, part the dubbing on the top of the hook shank and brush to
the either side.
 Grab the 4 sili-leg segments that were previously folded back and stretch them forward through
the part in the dubbing and over the valley in the Dazzle eyes. Keeping tension, tie in in front of
the eyes and trim.
 Flip the fly.
 Tie in a light rabbit beard about long enough to reach the hook point.

Addition 1/19/2010: I just found out about a fun contest at OBN (Oudoor Bloggers Network) on
which I am a member. It turns out that Montana Fly Company ( Facebook) is taking fly submissions
from OBN members for inclusion in their fly catalog. That's right folks, a blogger for less than a
month and I am already selling out! I just hope it doesn't get me kicked out of the revolution.
Regardless, I am going to submit both the Primordial Carp-Stew and the Primordial Crust so whish
me luck!

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Tying Grubs by Fred Hannie
Articles, Fly Patterns, Step-by-Step Tutorials — By Alex Cerveniak on February 23, 2010 8:37 am

Here is a simple yet realistic looking pattern that should be equally effective for trout as well as bluegills.
With this pattern my attempt was to create a fly that would mimic in appearance the larval stage of any
number of beetle species . Commonly called grubs , these beetles in their larval stage , often become
easy meals for any number of animals . Grubs are most often found in loose composting soil or leaf litter
and can be deposited in ponds and streams carried by runoff after a rain . By altering the coloration in
this pattern you can have an effective wax worm pattern as well.

Materials

Hook : #12 streamer or nymph

Thread: Danville’s .006 fine mono thread
Body: 40 lb monofilament
Legs: 6 lb monofilament
Sharpie Markers: Red , Amber, Black
Head Cement: Sally Hansen’s Hard as Nails

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1. After securing your hook in the vise slightly bend the hook downward just before the eye.

2. Tie on your thread as with any other fly.

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3. Cut four pieces of 40 lb mono , one inch long and with a flame fuse them together at one end.
This will form the head of our grub.

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4. Tie the four pieces of fused mono to the top of the hook as shown. Be careful not to crowd the
eye of the hook.

5. Trim the pieces of mono at the start of the hook bend.

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6. Tie down the mono with smooth thread wraps.

7. With a black Sharpie permanent marker darken 1/3 of a piece of 40 lb mono that is the length
of the hook shaft.

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8. This piece is to be tied in under the hook with the colored section nearest the hook bend.

9. Now we can finalize the grubs shape by adding smooth thread wraps or add even further
realism by wrapping segmentation into the length of the body.

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10.Adding the legs is easy . We will tie in three pieces of 6 lb mono underneath the last 1/3 of
the grub nearest the head. Use figure “8” wraps .

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11. Notice I used long pieces when tying them on. It is easier to work with longer pieces and trim
them later .

12. With a heated bodkin (warmed with the flame of a lighter) heat kink the mono legs straight
down and cut them to their final length (about 5mm) .Color the legs at this time with the red
marker.

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13. Now heat kink the legs at a ninety degree angle toward the eye of the hook . Make the bend
at the mid point of the leg.

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14. Now finish the coloration with an amber marker for the head and finally coat the entire fly
with Hard as Nails clear finger nail polish.

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Czech nymphs and Czech Nymphing are derivatives from their Polish predecessors and made popular
in the 1980's and 1990's on the competition circuits.

Tied as fundamental instruments in the highly specialized short line nymphing technique, Czech
nymphs can be as imitative or as attractive as one desires. Key aspects of the nymphs are that they
get tied on Gammarus (i.e. scud, caddis) hooks, are weighted, and are slim in nature. Typically Czech
nymphs have a shellback to assist in cutting depth detracting surface area and to boost their natural
appearance as well as a flashy under rib. It's important to realize that Europeans fish heavily for
grayling in rivers where caddis are the prevalent food item. Grayling do not mind heavy flows and are
attracted to bits of flash and color. It is not necessarily counter effective to fish outlandish patterns for
trout, but it is wise to carry more imitative selection if trout are your primary focus.

The sample I have tied would be well suited for grayling on a Scandinavian River but has taken it fair
share of wild browns in the USA.

MATERIALS:

Hook: Partridge CZ or CZF

Weight: Lead Wire
Thread: Black
Shellback: Pink 1/8" Scud Back
Under Rib: Flashabou Mirage
Over Rib: Monofilament Thread
Abdomen: Hare's Mask Dubbing
Hot Spot: Hot Red SLF
Thorax: Red Fox Squirrel Dubbing

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Place the hook in your vise and lay down a base of lead wire. The diameter you choose should be
based on the weight you wish to achieve. Czech nymphs can weight anywhere from .25 to 2.0 grams.

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Coat the lead wire with cement to fill in the gaps.

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Coat the cemented wire with heavy thread or floss to smooth it off and build an underbody.
Afterwards, clip the heavy thread and tie on the tying thread.

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Affix a section of 1/8" Scud Back to the top front of the hook.

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Secure it to the rear and return forward with the thread.

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Affix the mono rib to the near side of the hook, from front to rear.

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Repeat on the far side with the Mirage rib . Be sure to secure both rib materials back to the rear of the
hook.

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Apply dubbing wax to your thread.

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Touch dub some hare's mask dubbing by simply touching the clump of dubbing to the waxed portion
of the thread.

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Dub the rear 1/2 of the hook with a thin layer of dubbing. It should be quite spiky.

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Chop up some hot red dubbing (SLF shown here) and touch dub it to the thread.

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Dub 1/2 or so of the thorax with the hot color. This becomes your "hot spot," at times a very effective
addition to any nymph.

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Touch dub some red fox squirrel dubbing to the thread

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Finish the thorax with the squirrel dubbing.

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Counter-rib with the Mirage by wrapping the ribbing in the opposite direction in open and even turns.

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Fold the Scud Back forward and pinch it in place. Secure with a single wrap of thread.

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Expose the Scud Back and adjust if necessary before locking it down with 3 more tight wraps.

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Fold the excess back and take two turns of thread to totally secure the stretchy material. Clip the
excess.

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Make a half-hitch to secure the thread prior to wrapping the final rib. This is a preventative measure in
case you bang the bobbin while ribbing. If that should happen the shellback would likely come
undone.

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Wrap the ribbing forward in the normal fashion. This will segment the shellback, offering additional
durability to it as well as the counter ribbing underneath.

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Secure the mono ribbing, form a neat head and whip-finish. Clip the thread. Apply a few coats of head
cement.

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Invert the fly and aggressively brush out the belly of the thorax to form legs.

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A completed Czech Nymph!

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In the European nymphing disciplines, "anchor" flies are those substantially heavier flies that are used
to take a cast of droppers to the stream bottom. Some may call them "sacrificial" because they do not
expect to take many fish on them. However, this does not need to be the case. Anchor flies can
indeed pull dual-duty of providing weight and catching fish. In reality, true anchor flies are not used as
often as many think. Anglers experienced at the art of fishing weighted flies are quite adept at fishing
small flies in some pretty violent water with great success. But there are times when a heavy anchor
is required and thought should be used when choosing such a fly. Ideally, the fly should be a fish
catcher while doing it's other job of getting the droppers deep-all without excessive hang-ups.

The Vladi Worm was shown to me by Poland's Vladi Trzebunia, and as far as I know he developed the
thing. Obviously it most represents a large worm, aquatic or otherwise. But, one must ponder it's
construction to fully appreciate the value of this fly.

First, the fly is large to it can be weighted to obesity if desired, without sacrificing hook gap. Reduction
of the hook gap is a common issue with anchor flies, especially when trying to obtain weights above1-
gram.

Next, with it's thin profile and latex clothing, the fly slices right through the water with little
interference from the current. This makes the first issue I discussed somewhat less relevant.
Furthermore, the humped bend where the weight gets applied causes the fly to invert and this reduces
hang-ups.

Last, when tied in the manner shown, the fly has a "super ball" characteristic about it. This feature
makes the fly literally bounce off of rocks and other solid debris that it does collide with. It's damned
near impossible to get this hung up over rocky substrate. I also strongly feel that this "bounce"
feature triggers a response from fish as I tend to do far better with it in rocky areas than I do in silty
areas where it does not bounce as much.

Oh yeah, it catches fish like no-one's business. This fly is especially effective in high stained water.
But, when I need a fly to get me deep and fast, often this beast is on the starting line-up.

MATERIALS

Hook: 3XL or 4XL streamer hook (#2-#6), bent

Weight: .030" lead wire

Thread: Red heavy underbody, orange 6/0 to finish

Rib: 2-pound Maxima monofilament

Body: lengthwise section of pink latex condom (note: scud back will not work)

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Bend the hook as shown and place hook firmly in your vise. I use needle nose pliers to assist with the
bending process.

Wrap several turns of lead wire on the newly formed "hump." Weighting this section will cause the
hook to invert when being fished. I use .030" diameter wire, but feel free to use whatever you so
choose.

Next, select your heaviest thread or floss and use it to build an underbody, be especially careful to
build tapers leading off either edge of the lead coil. Cover the entire hook shank with at least one
layer. Building the taper will make it easier to wrap the latex. Play with the color of this thread for
interesting effects.

Select your ribbing material and cut of a long section. You'll need the length to get a good grip on the
ribbing later on.

Attach the finishing color thread. I like to use orange or very pale pink.

Bind the mono ribbing material down the back of the body. Use lots of wraps and bind it to the entire
shank-mono is slippery!

Cut an approximately 3/4" wide section from a pink latex condom (scud back will not work). I find it
easiest to keep the condom rolled, and cut it in half. Then I cut the 3/4" sections from that, never
unrolling the latex until each section has been cut.

Bind the latex to the rear of the body by the very tip. Keep the thread at the rear after securing the
latex.

Now, begin wrapping the latex forward. The first few wraps may be tricky-so use enough pressure to
keep them in place. Once the wraps take and the latex begins to advance forward, use only one hand
to wrap and do not let go between wraps, and use only enough pressure to secure each wrap in place.
Doing so will force the latex to roll upon itself and create bulk along the hump.

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Once your reach the "neck" of the worm, pinch the latex in place with your other hand and allow the
latex to untwist. Then, wrap the neck section with a layer of thin, flat latex.

Here, you can see the two different wrapping techniques.

Reverse the process, flat along the neck and then allow the latex to twist upon itself while wrapping
back along the hump. You will find that the latex wants to slide-you will learn how to contend with this
characteristic and that it lies in the tension you apply.

Secure at the rear with a few wraps of thread.

Select a strip of wide flash material. I like to use Siman's Magic Shrimp Foil Pearl Strips, but you can
use wide pearl tinsel.

Secure the flash at the rear with a few wraps of thread. Do not worry too much about seeing the
thread as unless overused it will disappear.

Next, with very open and rather loose wraps, advance the thread to the eye. This will also act to
secure the latex wraps a bit and prevent them from sliding.

Fold the flash forward, pull it tight, and secure it at the eye. Clip the excess.

Notice the gap?

Simply, and rather loosely, wrap the thread up the neck, and back to the eye to tighten-up the flash.
No need to wrap up on the hump as the flash will be flush to it.

Note: At this point you have the option to build a "hot spot" by simply tying in a narrow section of
bright thread somewhere on the body of the fly. I often add hot spots to the hump.

Now, open up the latex so it is flat and wide and wrap it forward. You are looking to get a very thin

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layer of latex overtop the flash, and any hot spot you may have added.

Secure the latex at the eye with a good number of tight thread wraps.

Remove the excess. Put a half-hitch in the thread so that if you bump the bobbin you do not loose the
latex!

Now, counter-rib the worm with the mono. After each wrap, pull the mono very snug so that it sinks
into the latex and form pronounced segments. Don't pull so tight as to break the ribbing or you WILL
invent some new bad words!

I like to make more segments than less.

Once at the eye, secure the mono and double it back and secure it again.

Clip the excess and build a neat head. Cement.

A completed Vladi Worm!

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Baetis Nymph
I’ve been playing around a bit more with the Nymph-Head beads. This one is a simple baetis type
nymph. You can of course alter the colours and size to suit whichever nymph you like. It has only had
one outing so far, but it did catch!
Although I have used Nymph-Head beads here, you can if you wish use ordinary beads.

Instructions assume right-handed tyers

HOOK – Tiemco 5262 #16

BEAD – Nymph-Head Black Bead
TAILS – Short Brown Partridge
BODY – SLF MC#1 Baetis Brown/Olive
RIB – Gold Wire
THORAX – Peacock Herl
LEGS – Brown Partridge
THORAX COVER – Pheasant Tail
EYES – Orange Tulip Paint

STEP 1
Slide the bead onto the hook, then into the vice with it and attach the thread. If you want you can
build a base for the bead first, I don’t (normally) instead I add a spot of Superglue after the fly is tied
to hold the bead in place.

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STEP 2
Tie in a few partridge fibres for the tail.

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STEP 3
Tie in the wire for the rib.

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STEP 4
Apply a pinch of dubbing to the thread and wrap to form the body.

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STEP 5
Follow with the rib and tie off.

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STEP 6
Tie in a few pheasant tail fibres for the thorax cover.

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STEP 7
Tie in peacock herl fibres for the thorax.

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STEP 8
Wrap the peacock herl to form the thorax and tie off.

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STEP 9
Tie in a small bunch of partridge hackle fibres on each side of the thorax to represent legs.

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STEP 10
Pull the pheasant tail fibres over and tie down to form the thorax cover.

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STEP 11
Whipfinish and detach the thread. Make sure the eyes are in the correct position, then apply a tiny
spot of superglue to hold the bead in place.

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STEP 12
I’ve been experimenting with different mediums for the eyes, permanent marker pen, paint, varnish,
etc. On this one I have tried Tulip T-shirt paint which has proved quite durable.

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Using a cocktail stick with the point cut of apply a touch of paint to each eye.

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Finally, varnish the whippings for the completed fly.

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 Tying the Black Tiny Miracle Nymph

Related Flies :-

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STEP 1 : Place a 2mm Black bead (Or smaller) onto the hook and position at the eye. (NB: The hook barb will need compressing down

if any bead smaller than 2mm is used)

STEP 2 : Catch in a length of Fine Silver wire as the thread is wound down the hookshank. Finish winding the thread opposite the

barb.

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STEP 3 : Wind the thread back and forth up the hookshank until a nice uniform body is created. Finish the thread just in front of the

eye..

STEP 4 : Wind the wire up the body to create a rib. Finish just short of the eye, tie off with thread and trim waste..

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STEP 5 : Catch in a black peacock herl (Tip first) where the wire was tied off and wind the herl with 4 to 5 turns. Secure with thread,

trim waste and whip finish.

The finished Tiny Miracle Nymph

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Crawling cdc midge pupa

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