If you are a purist you can stop reading now. I do not want to offend anyone with this post, just want to share a rigging technique that some trout anglers might find useful this runoff. Anglers peg their trout beads and anglers also fish san juan worms, why not combine them both? I find the pegged worm to be especially convenient when using the “squirmy” worm material. It looks great as it moves with the current in the water. Durability is the main issue I have with this fly. When I attach the squirmy to the hook, the thread often cuts through the material. This even happens when using thick thread or wire. Using this pegged method makes the “fly” last longer while also giving you a great fish catcher for high and muddy water conditions.
The first step is to get 2.8 mm (7/64”) bead and a threader. If you want a little extra weight go with the tungsten variety. You want to pull off a strand of tippet, I usually go with 18 inches of 2x or 3x fluorocarbon, that I snell to a bead hook. A range of different hook styles and sizes will work, I have been using TMC 105 in size 12.
After snelling the hook, I thread the tippet through the center of the bead and position it about an inch above the hook. I then do another wrap with the tippet, through the center of the bead to secure it in place (two wraps around the bead should be enough to hold it.)
The next step is to take the length of squirmy material that you want and thread it through the bead. This takes a little finesse but with some practice you will become proficient. Push the treader through the wider hole in bead so that it comes out the other side. Then position the squirmy so it looks like the picture below.
You want to slowly pull the squirmy through the bead. Slow is key here as it is easy to break the squirmy. You will see it slowly stretch as you pull it through the bead, once you have an end through, you can grab the tag end of the material with you fingers and pull, adjust it so that the bead sits in the middle of the material. Pre rig a bunch of these and catch some fish during runoff!
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