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August 2001
by Rich Johnson
Glo-bug
Notes: I have to be honest here… I don't like tying glo-bugs at all. If I wasn't so cheap, I'd buy them.
The problem is, they catch fish. Sometimes a glo-bug will outperform any other type of egg pattern. So I continue to struggle with the nasty little things. Glo-bugs take practice, they are not an easy pattern to master. They have their own set of skills required to do them well. However, once you've got the knack you can crank them out at an amazing rate. Troy Miller ,one of our members currently living in the 2nd largest state, is really good at glo-bugs. They are consistent in size, shape, and the they don't have any fibers sticking out. He's tied thousands of them. For the rest of us, the instructions below are my best attempt at a great egg pattern.
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Hook: Specialty egg hook
Thread: Strong! Danville Plus at a minimum; Kevlar
Body: Glo-bug Yarn
Spot: Glo-bug Yarn
Patience: Lots
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1) Use a strong hook, you're going to exerting a lot of tension to compress the yarn. Start your thread in the center of the shank. Also it's a good idea to use a heavy duty vise, my Rensetti developed a distinct vertical wobble after I had tied a hundred or so
Glo-bugs at one setting several years ago.
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2) Take a section of Glo-bug yarn and a smaller contrasting color section (as we did last month) and bind them to the top of the shank with three very tight wraps while compressing the yarn at the tie in point as much as possible. Each wrap must go directly on top of the previous wrap. You need a pinpoint tie in.
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3) Although I usually skip this step on my fishing flies. Lots of people have asked me how to keep the bottom of the fly round so it does not make a dome shape when fishing. While you're maintaining maximum tension on the previous wraps fold a section of yarn over the thread (downward), pinch together, and bring it up directly underneath the tie in spot for the top yarn.
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4) As you come around the backside of the material with the wrap for the bottom yarn, bring your thread into the shank and place a wrap as tight as possible against the materials. Half hitch, whip finish and cut your thread.
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5) Pulling up on the top material, cut the yarn with a single arching motion. Again, use very sharp, strong scissors. The arching cut will keep all the fiber lengths the same. If you cut straight across the fibers from the sides of the fly are slightly longer.
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6) Do the same for the bottom yarn, slight arching cut under tension.
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7) The finished Glo-bug. When done properly no additional trimming is needed. As with the McFly Egg, overall size and diameter are controlled with the amount of material used and where you cut.
Glo-bug yarn is available in a small diameter of tying smaller eggs, and in lots of colors. For larger eggs add strands of material.
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8) The center color spot needs to be on the top of the material (step 2) to come out as a single, round spot. Size is controlled by the amount of material used.
Glo-bugs have a fuzzy looking edge. I feel that it is this feature that gives them an "edge" under certain circumstances. When back or side lit the edge has a translucency not found when using chenille or even McFly Foam.
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