The Yuk Bug is the creation of Al Troth, who is best known for his Elk-Hair Caddis dry fly. But before he moved to Montana from his native Pennsylvania in 1973, Troth was probably familiar with Russell Blessing’s Woolly Bugger. In tying the Yuk Bug, Troth retained the Bugger’s the chenille body and grizzly hackle, but substitute squirrel for the tail and added rubber legs. The result is a super-buggy fly that can be fished in many ways, in both cold and warm water.
In this week’s great video from Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions, he walks you through the steps for creating this useful pattern. As usual, Tim offers some helpful methods to make the tying process easier, including how to secure the slippery squirrel-tail fur. I also like the way he holds the rubber legs out of the way with thread wraps. Tie up a few of these monstrosities, and see if the bass, trout, and pike in your local waters don’t gobble them up.
Yuk Bug
Hook: Down-eye salmon hook (here a Daiichi 2117), size 4-8.
Thread: Black, 6/0 or 140-denier.
Tails: Natural gray squirrel-tail fur.
Adhesive #1: Superglue (here, Fly Tyers Z-Ment).
Body: Black chenille, medium.
Legs: White round rubber legs, medium.
Hackle: Ginger grizzly saddle hackle.
Head: Black tying thread.
Adhesive #2: Head cement (here, Sally Hansen Hard-As-Nails).
Note: Add weight with a black conehead or an underbody of .020 lead-free round wire.