Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2022 - 14
BEGINNER
Junk Fly Junkie
M
by Ralph Scherder
photos by the author
op Flies and Squirmy Wormies are often referred to
as junk flies. They are not fancy, and they are simple
to tie, but everyone agrees that junk flies work.
Unlike many other types of nymphs and dry flies, junk
flies are not meant to match any type of hatch. In fact, that
is perhaps when they work best-when no mayflies are
hatching, and trout are not looking for any particular insect.
In recent years, Mop Flies and Squirmy Wormies have
become staples in the fly box, but it was not always the case.
For instance, in 2014, the United States Youth Fly Fishing
Team won the World Youth Fly Fishing Championships
with Squirmy Wormies as the cornerstone of their arsenal.
In fact, teams from several other countries credited Squirmy
Wormies as the reason for the win and sought to have the fly
banned from future events. Team USA proved them wrong
by winning again the following year even though by then
their competition was using Squirmy Wormies, too.
14
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater
Fly anglers have always enjoyed debating the virtues of
what constitutes a " real " fly. Last spring, I was fishing Little
Sandy Creek,Venango County, and four teenagers circled
a large pool downstream from me. One of the young men
was catching considerably more fish than the others. Finally,
someone asked what he was using. " A chartreuse Mop Fly, "
he replied. To which one of the other boys grumbled, " That's
not fly fishing. You may as well just use bait! "
Many junk flies imitate worms, both terrestrial and
aquatic. During thunderstorms, worms get washed into
the streams and create a feeding frenzy. Worms also live in
the sand and gravel of some stream beds. Cranefly larvae
closely resembles waxworms and butterworms popular
with many bait anglers.
Perhaps the biggest challenge of junk flies is that
they are as easy to tie as they are to fish. That can be an
obstacle for traditionalists who believe that fly tying is
supposed to be complicated. One of the appeals of fly
fishing, after all, is that it is inherently more challenging
than fishing with bait. Then, along comes the junk fly
junkie with their box of Mop Flies and Squirmy Wormies
to prove that fly fishing is not nearly as difficult as it is
made out to be.
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2022
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2022
Contents
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2022 - Cover1
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2022 - Cover2
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2022 - Contents
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2022 - 4
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2022 - 5
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2022 - 6
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2022 - 7
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2022 - 8
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2022 - 9
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2022 - 10
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2022 - 11
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2022 - 12
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2022 - 13
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2022 - 14
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2022 - 15
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2022 - 16
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2022 - 17
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2022 - 26
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2022 - 27
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2022 - Cover3
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2022 - Cover4
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