wacky worm fly?
- This topic has 15 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated May 6, 2009 at 11:44 am by
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I catch a lot of bass on spinning tackle with 5-7 inch rubber worms rigged “wacky” style: you push the hook point through the worm about 1/3 of the way from the head and let both ends of the worm hang over bend of the hook like a droopy mustache. A slow retrieve makes the worm undulate like something alive and very attractive to bass. My question: has anyone designed a fly that would look like this and have the same action? I’d love to be able to catch bass on my fly rod with this technique as I do with spinning tackle.
I have a fly like that and the smallies of the Ozarks love them. I’ll post some pictures later tonight.
I have a fly like that and the smallies of the Ozarks love them. I’ll post some pictures later tonight.
Looking forward to the photos!
I’ll be looking forward to pics as well. A friend does well on the bass with wacky rigged worms. I’ve been rolling ideas around my head on how to create a fly for that action for a month or so. Nothing off the vise as my tying desk has been taken over by rod building for about 6 weeks now. Three more rods to finish, then I can get to tying again.
Sorry about the delay. Flies at home, camera at work. Also sorry about the quality but it should give you an idea of what I’m doing. The orange work is made from Hareline’s Large Trilobal Antron Chenille. The tan worm is made from yarn picked up at the craft store.
The craft yarn is a lot softer but doesn’t “spring” back into shape in the water as well as the chenille. But I have had success on both.
They are pretty easy to tie but sometimes you are going to wish you had three hands. I start by tying the material into one side of the hook and then furl one side, tie it in and then complete the other side.
So, Ronnie, you are just twisting the chenile about itself? 😕
I had been thinking of twisting/braiding chenile around a piece of heavy mono/fluoro or even light wire to get the springy action. :-/
Nice. Looks like I was thinking along the right lines anyway. 🙂
I’ve done something similar. Take two magnum bunny strips and a piece of 20 pound wire. Glue the wire in between the strips when you glue the strips together (this keeps the bunny strips rigid and keeps it from fouling). I tied mine about 8″ and fish it like a soft plastic (slugo). It’s heavy when wet but looks great. To tie it wacky just figure 8 it on the hook at the mid point.
You’ll need a shooting head style line to really cast it well.
Darrin, yes the material is just twisted up on itself. It’s hard for me to explain. Take a piece of chenille in your hands. Hold the ends apart and start twisting one end. Twist until you can start felling the material tighten up, then move the ends together. It all just twists up on itself.
Mike, I have thought about adding wire but always thought it would make it a lot harder to cast and create more tangles. I’m not sure what 20 pound wire is, is it flexible at all?
One thing you can do when furling the material is twist it up real tight. It gives it a stiffer body with lots of spring.
Guys,
thanks for the ideas. The rubber worms I have the most success with are a color called watermelon–very dark green with sparkly red flecks. I’ll bet there’s a way to reproduce that effect with a fly. It’ll just take some playing around with materials.Jim, I always had success on a watermelon colored worm too. I think the ones I had were dark green with black specks. The closest I have been able to come is a yarn that matches the green but the specks are silver. I tie these with the same furling method but they are tied onto the hook straight. I fish them on the fly rod with a split shot and try to keep that weight just bouncing along the bottom of the stream. Those smallmouth will just kill it.
You might have some luck at attaining something close to the desired effect of the watermelon soft plastic by twisting together dark green chenille with some estaz cactus chenille in whatever color you want the sparkles to be.
Took a bunch of the wacky worm flies I tied up to my local creek to test them out. They cast OK and seemed to have good action in the water but after about three casts most of the fuzz on the chenille had melted away and I was chucking bare thread on a hook. I was using the same kind of chenille I use for wooly buggers but I guess the thread wrapping around the chenille on the hook shank keeps the fuzz in place. I guess it’s back to the drawing board.
Jim,
I should have mentioned the problem that you had earlier. Yes there are types of chenille that will not work, same goes for the yarn. Others will hold to the furling process with no problems. You can check the material by twisting it back and forth in your fingers. If it starts to come apart then it won’t work. I have had the best luck with Hareline’s Large Trilobal Antron Chenille, it will not come apart on you.
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