Hellgrammite Nymphs

[Mike Fielder]

Hello Everyone,

I was talking to a buddy of mine the other day about smallmouth bass flies, and he mentioned using a Hellgrammite nymph.

[Steve K.]

Mike,

I fish the Flint River in middle Georgia for Shoal Bass. There diet consists of black helgrammites. We have success dead-drifting black wooly boogers. I’m sure someone has tied up an accurate imitation but the WB seems to work just fine for us.

[paul taylor]

Mike,

Here’s a pattern you might want to check out from Rivers Outdoor Adventures and Old Lehigh Outfitters in Pennsylvania.   It can be found at the following website:

http://www.riversflyfishing.com/pats/ulhel.php

Here’s a pic (btw it’s not tied by me).

[Kent Edmonds]

Here’s the real thing from the Flint, as Drifter mentions-

A really distinctive feature is the set of filamentous gills all along the abdomen. You can see them a little in the bottom view, but they are big, billowy white things that almost glow when the bug is in the water.

When they get washed into the current, they curl immediately into a circle.

The bugger has always worked fine for me too, but I have wanted (and tried unsuccessfully) to mimic the gills and the curling behavior.

Kent - FlyFishGA

[Mike Fielder]

Thanks guys for the info.

[Steve K.]

Mike,

I’ve tried weighted black stonefly patterns and seem to have better luck with the wooly booger. I’m thinking the maribou more closely matches the action of the gills that Kent mentioned. I’ve caught fish while dead drifting and bouncing the WB across the bottom and also stripping it close to the bottom. The helgrammites seem to prefer the aquatic grasses that grow in the semi-fast water found on certain areas of the Flint. I own a couple of sinktips but don’t use them on the Flint due to the shallow shoal areas that I typically target.

Kent can offer much more insight as he guides the Flint for shoalies. BTW….Kent….I was on the Flint Friday. Sunny, windy and cold. The water was beautiful but the fish had lockjaw.

[John Stanley]

You may want to try using a black or dark brown wooly worm.

[Andrew Barclay]

I don’t have a picture right now, but I know I have one of these in my box that has been tied with black estaz and foam that has been glued into the semi-circle shape that kent mentions.

[Mike Cline]

Check out Harry Murray’s Book on Fly Fishing for Smallmouth.

[Kent Edmonds]

Andrew, I’d like to see that semi-circle deal – an interesting idea.

Fact is, like Drifter says, big bugger work fine. Basset, I have used a wooly worm in years gone by, but if you note the photo, the bug is 2″ long.

`Tried many variations, including Murray’s; even tried simulating gills with antron, glow-in-the-dark flashabou, and various othe concoctions. `Have no idea whether even a perfect imitation would be more effective as they jump all over the standard WB. `But you know fly tyers – always tinkering.

Kent - FlyFishGA

[Andrew Barclay]

My apologies for taking an extra day to get these pictures.

[brian dunigan]

I’ve got some store-bought flies at home that are the best imitations I’ve seen.

[Mark Landerman]

If you want to tie a super easy, yet very effective pattern, try a pat’s rubber leg.

[brian dunigan]

I finally found a picture of that “livin’ hellgrammite” fly.

[Author]

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