Woolly Worm
Nymph
Tied By Darrell Olson
Hook: Streamer 3xl, Size 12 (Size Range 4 – 12)
Thread: 70 Denier, Black
Materials-
weighted wire: 0.015 Lead-Free Wire
tail: Red Yarn
body: Fine Chenille, Black
Notes:
The original Woolly Worm pattern is said to have originated in the Ozarks as a bass fly. Its real popularity however came when Don Martinez, a West Yellowstone, Montana fly tier commercialized the pattern in the 1950s.
The Woolly Worm, depending the specific material used and how it is fished can be assumed to resemble large nymphs, more specifically stoneflies, dragonflies, damselflies, riffle beetle larvae or hellgrammites.
The original Woolly Worm fly was constructed without a tail, but the contemporary pattern has a yarn tail or hackle fiber tail. The body is a chenille or fur body with a hackle palmered from the tail to the head of the fly. The underbody may be weighted with lead wire. The popular colors are yellow, olives, browns, blacks. The most common hackle used is grizzly.