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Squirmy wormy flies hit the market in 2014 with gusto. They were described as the new wonder fly. For my part I have to say that despite their emerging reputation I thought it just a fad and didn't embrace them. Over time they have endured and their reputation of, on the day, being an exceptional fish taking fly has grown and grown. They have also become very well accepted in competition circles and consequently I have fallen into line and have added them to my fly box for use in both rivers and lakes.

A second reputation that squirmy worm flies has have developed is that they break up very easy. Part of the problem is that the extruded rubber profile is very soft and easily cut by the very thread that they are tied on with.

My tungsten bead head version mitigates that problem somewhat as the material is tied on with thread loaded with dubbing rather than just the thin thread.

Materials

Process

A	Take a length of dental floss double it up and poke the doubled up end through the hole on a bead. Select a bead for this fly that has a reasonable size opening. For this size #10 fly I have selected a 3.5mm gold tungsten bead that has a hold theat is about 4 times the diameter as the wire used in the hook.

B	Take a length of squirmy wormy material and trim it into two equal lengths. Half a full length is perfect for one size #10 fly. Put the tip of the squirmy wormy material just inside the open loop.

C	Using the dental floss pull the tip of the squirmy wormy material through the bead. Position the squirmy wormy material with about 25mm of squirmy wormy material outside the front end of the bead. Stretch the squirmy wormy material over the index finger of your left hand (assuming your right handed). Take your hook and carefully load it onto the bead taking care not to damage the squirmy wormy material.

D	Take the bead all the way forward to the eye of the hook and load the hook into the vice so that the squirmy wormy material lays forward and out of the way. Lay down a base of thread along of the hook shank from behind the bead to the bend of the hook. Understanding hooks

E	Reposition the hook in the vice so that it is horizontal. Load the thread with dubbing. Dub up toward the bead and then back down to the bend of the hook forming a thin cigar shaped under-body.

F	Slightly stretch the squirmy material slightly and hold it in position along the top of the hook shank.

G	Wind the dubbing and thread rope up toward the bead using firm but not tight touching turns of the thread and dubbing rope. This rope is much less likely to damage or weaken the squirmy wormie material than if tied into position with just thread Make sure that the dubbing rope forms a collar behind the bead that the thread can be whip finished over without cutting the squirmy wormie material.

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H	Remove any excess dubbing from the thread. Whip finish behind the bead making sure that the whip finish is on top of the rope collar described in the previous step. . Do not use any varnish as some varnishes are solvents to the material that the squirmy wormie material is made off. It's also a good idea to store your squirmy worm flies separate to any other flies on which varnish has been used for the same reason as above.

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