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First published May 9th 2007 - A year ago
Monster's Bug
A big bug for big fish
By Vytautas Skestavicius
Bug fever
The bug fever started when I got a foam beetle from my friend Darius Vaskevicius.
Within short, the fly caught me my biggest chub ever, which was close to 60 cm/24".
So this bug was so attractive, that I started experimenting with shape, colors and other woodoo things. One of the experiments resulted in a beetle with creamy body and mint colored foam. It was tied just for fun and not for fishing. However, one day, when the fish were not biting, I tied it on and within a few hours I caught many and nice chubs. It does not look natural, but it certainly works very well. Now I am aware that it works best under the pre-spawning period. The rest of the season, the fish prefer brown and black flies looking more naturally.
Matchbugs
Once I saw some Latvian bugs, which were not bugs but BUGS – as big as matchboxes. After a short consideration I figured out the main formula: big BUG = big CHUB.
As easy as can be… and indeed, after I increased the size of my beetles, I started to catch big chubs and those small ones (we call them fliers – after the strike, they often fly out of the water) don’t bother me anymore. They just can’t take it, it is too big for their mouths. And one more advantage – big bug is a more attractive for big fish.
The bug has also a sound effect builded in: it hits water with more noise, which I have experienced to be essential when fishing for chub.
I fish them dead drifting. I prefer fishing from a float tube as there are many trees and branches all over, which sneak up behind me and snap off my flies. Going downstream in a float tube protects me a bit from these greedy trees.
When fishing the dry version there is no doubt, when the the chub takes the fly. It gets much more difficult to see the take, when fishing the sub-merged version dead drifting. You hardly feel the take, so strike when you see a short flash or whirl close to your fly.
So why bother using the sub-merged? Sometimes the chubs do not rise and are only willing to take something fished below the surface.
Materials
| Hook | 2X light streamer, size 12-6 | | Foam | Any color to match natural or mint colored | | Thread | Color matching foam | | Cell foam packaging material | It usually comes in white | | Dubbing | Natural or dyed hare with some long fibres. | | Legs | Black or white nylon brush |
Add some weight if you want a submerged version.
Tying instructions
- Cut a foam strip.
- Shape it as shown.
- Tie in the narrow end of the strip. Use loose turns or a flat thread, otherwise the thread will cut through the foam.
- Take the packaging material – it will help you form nice body.
- Tie in.
- Bend forward, tie in.
- Then backward, than again forward… and so on. Finish when you will be satisfied with the shape of the body.
- Cut off the excess.
- Color the belly to match the dubbing, or maybe create contrast – it is up to you.
- Place the dubbing in a dubbing loop and twist.
- Make the dubbing loop coem forward in nice equal turns.
- Here is the time for the broom. It is better to use broom with thick bristles. Pull out some bristles. If you don’t have the broom, you can use hair brush (if you dare).
- Tie in the bristles. It will be bug legs. Secure it with some Super Glue.
- Some more dubbing. You can use different color for the head.
- Stretch the foam strip forward and fasten it.
- Form the head.
- Now it’s candle time. Take the needle, forceps, heat the needle on the candle light (be careful with the open flame!!!)
- It needs to just small touch to bend the leg. If you too long it will burn trough.
- And that’s it – you have a MONSTER BUG
Tying sequence
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Submitted January 13th 2008
that looks bad 2 the bone