Tying Instructions

This is a fly I began tying in various sizes and colors about 20 years ago, and I now often use it in my primary trout water, the lower Saluda River. This fly has elements common to various terrestrials and aquatic flies and I generally use it as an all around attractor type fly and in some circumstances, a streamer. It can be tied in a wide range of sizes, from # 2 down to # 14. In various sizes and colors, the Saluda Bug has proven effective for trout, bream, and largemouth bass. If I use a bright green or yellow thread to tie off the head, I wrap on a wider layer of thread for a highly visible head. If I use a dark thread to tie off the head, I go very light on the thread wraps.

How to Fish

Tied on #8 and #12 hooks, I get my best results, with trout, letting the fly drift in a moderate to relatively fast current. For bass and bluegill in calm water, I prefer to use it around pads and other vegetation; lay it on the surface film, giving it a twitch or two to make it go under... then "swim" it with very short, slow strips.