Floss Grub

Dental floss tape is a cheap and effective material for winding up some simple fly bodies. It’s very good for your teeth too!

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Floss Grubs
Floss Grubs
Nick Thomas
Dental floss tape
Dental floss tape
Nick Thomas

Dental floss tape, available in your local pharmacist or supermarket on 25 metre spools which work out at 5-10p/metre is a cheap and effective material for winding up some simple fly bodies that imitate small pupae or grubs. It’s very good for your teeth too. Some varieties come with a slight minty flavour, but that can be removed should you wish by a soak in warm soapy water before you start tying.

I tie two versions of the Floss Grub, one with a jig-off bead, which turns the hook point up, for fishing on the point, and a second with a smaller counter hole bead for fishing on a dropper above a heavier tungsten bug in deep or fast water.

Floss Grubs
Two types of Floss Grubs
Nick Thomas
Floss Grubs
Floss Grubs
Nick Thomas

Floss Grub

Nymph
Nick Thomas
Materials
Hook Get Slotted GS Pupa #14
Bead Get Slotted 2.3mm tungsten counter hole or 2.8mm tungsten jig-off
Body Dental floss tape
Collar Get Slotted olive H&S dubbing
  1. Run on the tying thread behind the bead and take down to the bend and back in touching turns.
  2. Catch in a length of floss behind the bead, tie down back to the bend and wind the thread forward keeping the body smooth.
  3. Wind the floss forward under tension in overlapping turns and continue to wrap up and down the hook forming a tapered body leaving a space behind the bead.
  4. Tie in the floss behind the bead and remove the waste end.
  5. Dub the collar, smear the thread with varnish and whip finish.
  6. Brush out the dubbing fibres.
Easy
Fishing a Floss Grub
Fishing a Floss Grub
Nick Thomas
Floss Grub grayling
Floss Grub grayling
Nick Thomas
Image gallery for Floss Grub

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Selected by the system, based on these keywords: Nymphs | Beads | Pupae | Grub flies

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