San Juan worm

[Hodge36]

I just received a fly box loaded with flies for Christmas and it has these worm flies in them i was just wondering how to fish these

 

[jayL]

Dead drift on the bottom, like any nymph.

 

[Fishidiot]

Hodge,
Although these flies aren't the most technical or glamorous, they're very effective. As Jay said, fish 'em dead drift just like a nymph. They catch trout just about under any conditions but I particularly like them early in the season for stocked trout.

 

[gochs]

I love them on Spring Creek. It may be me, but I have lots of luck with them there.

 

[Squaretail]

One thing I've learned, when I see a fish in a feeding lane and he ignores my san juan going by, if I can get it to rest on the bottom somewhere nearby the fish they will consistantly ease on over and scoop it up.

 

[osprey]

That's a really cool bit of info there Dan , i can't wait to try that out but it looks like it's gonna be awhile , just let it gain the bottom and sit there within sight? Let me tell a little story about how my luck goes. If i go out fishing with the intent of trying that out and see if it works , there will not be a trout in the stream that day that rejects my san jaun worm , they will be fighting each other over it , every trout in the stream will go after it that day , even blind ones. Seriously , that does sound like it would be cool to try and it is a good bit of info.........THANK YOU. Did you ever fish for smallmouth while they are spawning and have a female on a redd try to pick up your fly and move it off the redd? It kinda reminds me of that behavior. GOOD ONE.

 

[troutbumm]

I saw a video recently and the guys fly box had a bunch of these flies. Looked like a piece of bright chenille tied on a hook. I wondered if these were worth the space in the box. Sounds like they are catching trout. Thanks much. I'll throw some in

 

[jdaddy]

I saw a video recently and the guys fly box had a bunch of these flies. Looked like a piece of bright chenille tied on a hook. I wondered if these were worth the space in the box. Sounds like they are catching trout. Thanks much. I'll throw some in

Sure they are worth the space. Like other so called junk flies, they don't get a lot of respect but they catch a lot of fish. I find that light pink SJ worms work quite well in some of the more "technical" waters of PA, which I guess makes use of same more heretical.

 

[troutbumm]

Jdaddy - I'm no purist Once I tied on a green weenie and caught fish, all options above bait seemed fair game

 

[jayL]

I don't consider a SJW to be a junk fly. I seined the gravel on the bighorn in MT for about an hour one day (midday fishing slowed), and 90% of the biomass that I collected was small red worms. A red SJW was an exact match. I'd venture to say that among all of the food items that I imitated, the SJW was the most accurate imitation that I carried.

I haven't spent nearly as much time seining PA stream beds, but I would imagine that there are plenty of small worms, particularly on limestone and spring creeks.

 

[Acristickid]

Caught me largest wild rainbow on a SJW on the Bighorn.

Junk but effective.

 

[Hodge36]

acristic- that picture is awesome i also like your profile picture
also does this fly work in the winter?

 

[jayL]

Year round.

 

[SBecker]

Fished 2 days for about 6 hours total last week and all I caught my fish on were a color variation of a San Juan, so yes winter

 

[Maurice]

I once collected some river gravel for a fish tank from a riffle and you would be surprised what the contents revealed. after putting the first scoop in it muddied the tank so I rinsed it and found many orange, pink and red aquatic worms under an inch long. not like the red garden worms, thinner but vibrantly colored.

This from a small freestone stream in scpa.

So yes worms are a natural forage......but so long as spin guys use them as a 'bait" they are junk flys in my book.

Just like glow bugs, sucker spawn and green weenies.

 

[jayL]

I have heard of spin guys collecting nymphs, larvae, grasshoppers, beetles, and crickets too. And let's not get started on streamers.

Just sayin'.

 

[Fredrick]

I have never caught a trout on one but yet again I never fish them either I guess I should start .

 

[osprey]

Fred......they do work and the light pink one like jdaddy says seems to work on water where they see alot of flies. It also works on wild brookies , best when it's raining or has rained and clouds it up a little. Presented just as if you were fishing with bait but you don't get many second chances. I put a red collar on a light pink body and also tie it in natural worm colors with a brown floss collar.

 

[Maurice]

I think the term "Junk" fly in addition to resembling bait also refers to its simple, one or two step/material process. So in that case they all still apply.....just sayin.

 

[gfen]

I've never caught a fish on a SJW, "real" green weenie, sucker spawn, and only one on a glo bug.

I have a hard time using them because they look silly, mostly, and they feel like cheating. Regardless, they seem to work very well.

I really don't understand suckerspawn, though.