The cheater larva

I originally tied this fly about 2 months ago. I've always wanted a fly that I could cheat a little with.... You know those times when you just can't get it going and everything seems to be falling apart, or your buddy is spanking them and laughing at you because you've only caught 3 fish to his 15.... Well to make a long story short back in the begining of march I drove down to Spring creek, I had cabin fever terrible, and I was sick and tired of fishing for steelhead. I wanted to get back on track and start thinking about spring again. I hopped into my car at 4am, and the single digit air temps were telling me that spring was still far away. I arrived at the fisherman's paradise at around 630 - 700. Temps were still only around 24 deg there, but much warmer than what it had been back at home when I left. This was my first time fishing spring creek so i didn't know what to expect. After fishing for a few hrs and I hadn't got a single bump frustration began to set in. I spoke to an older gentleman who had pulled 2 smaller fish out around 10" each, I usually don't do this but I wanted to see if i could pick this guys brain a little about the creek. His answer was SCUDS, SCUDS, SCUDS, and sowbugs. When he said that to me I felt as if I were doomed!! I had never put a scud into my flybox for as long as I've flyfished, reason being I never fish places that scuds and sowbugs were a great food supply to the fish.

So after speaking with that man i decided I'd just continue drifting smaller nymphs and hope for the best. Around 11am or so the air had warmed up to about 40 degrees, the sun was bright and felt really good, started to actually feel like early spring!! I noticed I spooked a fish from right off the bank, he was sitting in like 7" of water, probably soaking up the sun himself. So I started paying close attention to the banks at my feet, and started noticing more and more 10-14" BT, just laying in water where thier backs were almost sticking out of the water. I noticed them moving back and forth picking off whatever junk came down the slower part of the shallow water. I creep down onto my knees trying not to spook these fish that came out of nowhere and were lining up the banks. I removed my indie due to the water being so shallow, and began casting to these fish. Once again they moved for food in every which way they could move other than where my flies were placed, talk about wanting to pull your hair out!! I went to lighter and longer leaders, and still nothing. So I sift through my boxes of goodies looking for something that may trigger them to even look at my offering to help put me on a successful track, the fish still would budge for nothing I threw. So I decided to put this waxworm larva on.... Why not? I've been through more flies than a $2 hooker! My first cast was terrible I missed the fishes feeding line by like 4 feet, as I call myself an isiot this BT comes flying off the bank and destroys this fly, keep in mind they would barely move for the natural food they had in the current, and this fish turned four feet!! Right then and there I knew what I had was right on the money, O worked my way all the way up the creek finding fish after fish sitting in 9" of water, and very delicately dropping this fly 3 feet above them, and the majority of the fish jacked it up!! They weren't little subtle taakes either, these fish were like pitbulls in a slaughter house looking for meat when they seen that fly. That day in march I went from zero to hero in a matter of moments!!

Heres the basic tying instructions for what I call the cheater. Like the caddis fly the body is made of tan medium round rubber, build up the under body with lead wire to get the fly down, and completely cover the wire with thread. Apply a line of super glue to the threaded under body and begin to wind the rubber forward. While winding the rubber do not put any tension on it, very loose wraps so the body can retain its girth. Bring the rubber up 3/4 of the hook shank and tie off. Now apply a thin coat of exo-flex to the rubber body. It only takes a few minutes to dry, and when it dries it dries soft, not hard like epoxy, giving you a soft and meaty fly. once the exoflex is dry you will need to blend 3 dubbings together. Natural hares ear dubbin plus, tan antron dubbing, and a smaller pinch of cream hares ear dubing. Blend those together and dub the head and you have a finished cheater fly.

What a great post. Where do you get that tan rubber? I want to tie some of these!!

I believe I got mine at madd river outfitters online

Yea, I'll be putting a row of these in my box. cool tie.

Great story and great tie . Since I live in pa and fish mainly limestoners I never leave without my scuds and sow bugs ;D

I'll have to tie some of these up. Great post.

I like this tie, easy and effective, going with the soft body idea, a staple for me has been the larva lace caddis pupa, anyone ever try it!

Where is the picture?? I can't visualize.

I think it was lost when they moved everything over to the new site??

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