This is my adaptation of the San Juan Worm.

It incorporates a weighted bead head and may in many circumstances not require additional weight to the tippet.

 Materials list:

Hook: Kamasan B110 (Grubber) or similar. Size 16 to 12

Body: 2″ of wrapped elastic thread.  Hot Pink. I purloined this from a girls bracelet bead kit.

Bead: 1/8 inch Tungsten Gold

Thread: 6 0 tan or similar.

Thorax: One strand braided sewing thread color 806

Start by threading the pink elastic thread through the bead:

Pass the hook, with the barb mashed down, through narrower hole in the the bead:

Start wrapping the 6 0 tan thread behind the bead back to the bend in the hook: 

 

Tie in the sewing thread from the hook bend; make sure to keep the pink elastic thread on top of the hook shank:

Wrap the sewing thread forward to the bead; again ensuring that the pink elastic stays on top of the hook shank:

Whip finish the tying thread behind the bead; trim off the sewing thread and the fly tying thread:

Add a small drop of head cement to the body threads; trim the pink elastic 1/2 inch in front of the bead:

add a drop of red head cement to the cut end to prevent fraying:

Trim the rear elastic thread about 1  inch from the back of the bead; add a drop of clear head cement to the cut end. Use a dark brown permanent marker to detail the elastic with bands of color. Also use the marker pen to color the top of the thorax and top of the gold bead:

Finish of with a small application of clear head lacquer or epoxy to the thorax and bead; remember to keep the eye of the hook free of cement.

Feel free to experiment with other color combinations; below is a variant Damsel fly pattern using black and pale blue plastic beads instead of weighted tungsten.

I added some wings and some singed nylon eyes: (and also some Cul de Canard applied to assist floatation).

 

david williams