All Protein, All Seasons
The Guide for New Fly Shop Employees (1995) has a very in depth chapter about fly recommendations in Utah. To sum it up, if you aren't quite sure what to prescribe an angler who is headed out, recommend a sow bug regardless of the season. Sow bugs are a plentiful food source in a lot of Utah rivers, and the fish love to eat them. Rainbow sows, Ray Charles, Gut Sacks, Local Magic Mojo, etc... Just make sure that they have a sow bug, and they will likely catch fish. It was this logic that made me want to kind of mess with some patterns on jig hooks that would be durable, easy, and quick to tie. See, with sow bugs, you are going to fish them pretty close to the bottom to match where they are in the river, so it's important that they can be a pretty quick tie because you will break some off.
This pattern really isn't anything super original. It's basically a variation of the Ray Charles that doesn't have any flashback, and has wire twisted up with the herls to make it more durable.
Cheech
Material List
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| Hook: Hanak H 400 BL Jig Hook - 16 | | |
| Thread: UTC Ultrathread 70 Denier - Watery Olive | | |
| Bead: Hanak Round+ Slotted Tungsten Beads - Silver - 3.5mm | | |
| Wire: UTC Ultra Wire - Red - Small | | |
| Body: Ostrich Herl - Scud Tan | | |
| Body: Ostrich Herl - Light Gray | | |
| Alternate Hook: Umpqua U560 BL-BN Jig Hook - 50 pack - 16 | | |
| Alternate Thread: UTC Ultrathread 70 Denier - Light Olive | | |
| Alternate Body : Nature's Spirit Ostrich Herl Plume - Tan | | |
| Alternate Body : Nature's Spirit Ostrich Herl Plume - Muskrat Gray | | |
| Alternate Wire: UTC Ultra Wire - Wine - Small | | |
Other tools from the tutorial:
| Loon Gator Grip Dubbing Spinner | | |