How to Tie A Killer Mudbug Tube Fly
by Brain Cavasin
The Killer Mudbug is another fly pattern that's both easy to tie and a can't miss fish-fooler to boot. This fly is an absolute killer for tailing carp, smallmouth and largemouth bass, panfish, and the occasional trout. It imitates dragonfly nymphs, crayfish, and other critters that predators apparently find irresistible. It can be tied on either on tubes or hooks, requires only a few variable materials, and fishes well in lakes, ponds or rivers.
Materials needed to tie the Killer Mudbug: Small diameter plastic tubing (3/32" shown) - also ties well on size 6 or 8 wet-fly hooks. Medium-sized dumbbell eyes (can use small or large as well). Arctic fox fur (marabou is also very good) in rusty, brown, olive, black. Leech yarn or mohair yarn for body - color can contrast with tail if you like. Sili-legs or round rubber legs - any barred colors will work, along with black, white or chartreuse. Thread - white, brown or black (orange used for photo visibility).
Step one: Insert tubing into vice, fasten thread to tube with a few wraps over itself. Using figure-8 wraps, attach the dumbbell eyes to tube, leaving the tube end extending beyond the eyes. From this step on, the eyes will be on the "down" or belly-side of the fly (will fish eyes-down, like a clouser minnow). |
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Step two: Cut a small pinch of arctic fox fur and wrap onto tube, starting directly behind eyes. Arctic fox breathes like marabou in water, but doesn't "wet down" or lose its bulk when wet. A little goes a long way here - less is more. Wrap thread back to eyes. |
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Step three: Tie in a length of the leech yarn behind the eyes. Wrap to end of fly, and then advance thread back to just behind eyes. Wrap yarn to thread, and fasten under thread wraps. Don't cut yarn yet. Turn tube over so that eyes are on the bottom. |
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Step four: Cut three or four sili-legs and tie in where yarn stops. Simply wrap thread over legs three or four times, so they double over. Advance thread to behind eyes, then wrap forward with leech yarn. Figure-eight yarn over dumbell eyes, then in front, tie off with thread and trim excess. |
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Step five: Whip finish or half-hitch with your thread, and cut. Your mudbug fly is complete. If you wish to do so, you may CAREFULLY flare the end of the plastic tube with a butane lighter, as described in step four of the egg tube fly article. Be careful to lightly melt the tube, without melting or burning your thread, as the fly may unravel. Also, feel free to trim the sili-legs shorter if they underwrap or foul the hook while casting - they are tied long for ease of handling. |
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