Grubby Larva SBS

Materials List:

Hook: Ahrex SA 280 sz 8

Bead: Spawn Fly Fish Slotted Tungsten Football Bead 5.5mm Crayfish Brown

Weighted Wire: NL .015

Thread(s): UTC White 70D and Dark Brown 70D

Body/Abdomen: Powder Free Latex strip cut from a glove

Body Top: Thin Skin Gator  Brown/Black

Body Rib: Ultra Wire Small Copper/Brown

Thorax/Collar: Arizona Diamond Dub  Dark Copper Mocha

Cement: Loon Hard Head or cement of your choice

*Optional*: Super Glue Gel for the weighted wire wraps

Step 1:  Begin by slipping your bead onto your hook point first into the round opening. Once on securely place your hook in the vise and add 10 wraps of .015 NL wire behind the bead. If you wish you can place a very small amount of Super Glue Gel to the wire wraps that will sit snugly into the back of the bead. For this fly we will keep the rounded portion on the bead facing us so our finished fly will have the tendency to angle hook point up. 

Step 2:  Now start your white thread behind the thread wraps. We use white for this portion simply to not discolor the body tone. Add plenty of passes back and forth over the weighted wire wraps to secure them and wrap toward the hook point roughly 1/3 down the hook bend. 

Step 3:  Now let's add our ribbing wire. Cut a piece 5-6 inches for easy handling or a second fly and tie it in on the side of the hook. Which side is up to you, but for ease of visibility we'll use the near side facing us. I like to nestle the ribbing wire right up against the weighted wire wraps for the smoothest underbody transition. Be sure to wrap the wire all the way to your previous thread wraps. 

Step 4: Cut a strip of Thin Skin a couple inches in length and roughly the width of the hook eye. Tie this in directly on the top of the hook shank. If it's not tied in straight at this point you may end up with quite a different bug after step 11. Again be sure to tie down all the way to your previous thread wraps.

Step 5:  Using a powder free latex glove, carefully cut a strip just shy of 1/8" width. Cutting latex can be a bit tricky, but the longer you can make one single cut the easier it will be to manage. The key is to have one edge you can identify as straightish. 

Step 6:  Now let's tie in this latex strip. Two things are key to properly utilizing this material. There is a textured outer side to the latex which we will have against the hook shank as we tied it in. This way the texture will be facing outward when we wrap the body. The other key is that straightish edge we tried to cut. That straighter edge should be on the far side of the fly from where you are tying. As we wrap the latex that straighter edge will be our trailing line which will emulate the natural's body segmentation. Take your thread to behind the bead, whip finish and cut. Begin your Dark Brown thread directly behind the bead to tie down the body once it’s wrapped

Step 7:  For the first wrap of the latex, and for any body wrapping you do that requires a rib, pull the wire rib forward to make sure one full pass of the body material is taken behind the wire. In this way we will ensure that our ribbing wire does not slip behind the body and make us question why we ever bought a vise. 

Step 8:  After you have that first complete wrap of latex behind the wire, pull the wire back toward the hook bend as you continue wrapping the latex in overlapping wraps all the way to behind the bead. Tie off the strip and trim the excess. 

Step 9: Now pull forward the Thin Skin and tie down with 3-4 thread wraps behind the bead. We will leave the trimming until we've wrapped the wire in case we need any minor adjustments.

Step 10: Dorsal view after bringing forward the Thin Skin.

Step 11:  We can now wrap our ribbing wire in evenly spaced wraps up the length of the body to behind the bead. If you look closely you can see how the wire has been tied down and bent back before trimming. Once tied down your wire will not slip out this way. Be mindful of the Thin Skin as you wrap the wire that it stays on top of the body and that you don't crease the near side as your wire tightens. 

Step 12:  Dorsal view after wire rib. 

Step 13:  Add enough Diamond Dub to your thread to form a tightly wrapped 2 inch dubbing noodle. Wrap this from behind the bead toward the hook bend roughly the same as the bead itself and then dub back to behind the bead. If the dub is too symmetrical you can pick some out or just rub it with your fingertips like I did for this little bug. Make a clean thread collar to secure all our previous additions and then add two whip finishes. Cut your thread and cover your thread wraps with some Loon Hard Head or cement of your choice. Time to go out and catch some fish. Thanks a million for tying along!