Davy Wotton Sow Bug

**AaronJasper** · 12-15-2009, 07:37 PM

Here is the killer fly...

Close Up...

A selection of DW Sow Bugs...

A poor rainbow that is going to get it "right in the mouth!"

**jovalle** · 12-15-2009, 08:15 PM

that pattern is magic - I have a t-bird original myself. They key is the dubbing (and I suppose how they apply the noodle), as well as a few other tricks t-bird kindly showed me...of course the dubbing isn't commercially available, is it Davy? It just looks so real when wet.

**sholgate** · 12-15-2009, 08:18 PM

Damn those look real. Spring creek killers!

**Davyfly** · 12-15-2009, 11:00 PM

As a matter of interest guys crustaceans are a major food source for trout, they love em.
One of the fascinations for me is to figure out fly patterns that are consistent for all waters that species is abundant.
Personally l care little for the majority of commercial sowbugs out there, they may look good in the fly box, in the water that is a different matter, and likewise how the fish see them.

These bugs of mine are weighted, l also found that sizes 14/16 were more productive that others, all be it l may well go down to a 18 at times and in some cases a 12 for big water situations.

So far as the dubbing blends, I mess around dyeing and blending different materials than tie a few flies which the go into one of my tanks, which l also have naturals.
You can get close to how a sowbug crawls, it cannot swim like a scud. Mainly l look for profile and color definition, remember a material attached to a hook when dry is one thing when wet in water it is another.
The tank will give me the best optical vision, you cannot do is in the river as well.

If you guys want the dubbing blends then contact me, there are 3.

Davy.

**AuSableTrophyhunter** · 12-21-2009, 11:06 AM

Davy, do you weight your scuds by wrapping wire or do you lash lead wire to the sides of the hook? What material do you use for the scud back? Thank you

**Davyfly** · 12-21-2009, 11:43 AM

Yes you weigh them first with .10 lead wire.
Then add a thread base.
Then tie the scud back just behind the eye, with the long end right side of the hook eye.
then run thread to tail of fly and dub the body to the hook eye.
Then bring back over the scud back to the tail end and reverse the thread to form the segmentation.
The whip finish is done at the tail end of the fly.
Scud back is cut at a angle to form a small V shape tail.
Turn fly upside down, belly facing you.
'Use a velcro brush and tease out left and right side of hook shank the dubbing. Do no tease it down from the hook shank, like you would for a scud.
Use a wide flat pair of plies to flatten the fly body, cut teased dubbing close to side of hook shank, this is the legs.
My pliers are 1/4 width, l do not use hemostats, hard to apply enough pressure to flatten the lead.

My velcro brush is round, this allows for you to roll the brush away from the fly body and teases the dubbing better than a flat velcro, that an if not careful drag way to much material from the fly body.

You can add varnish to the back if you wish.

Thread is UTC 70. Color to suit fly,
Gray/Gun metal.

Scud back for fly color is either Tan, light gray or clear.

As a matter of interest many of my fly patterns l whip finish at the tail end and not the head.

Hope this helps you.

They should take about 3 mins.

Davy