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Mesilla Valley Flyfishers, Inc.

Las Cruces, New Mexico


Fly of the Month

Wardens Worry
June 1998

By Norm Mabie

A very popular and effective attractor pattern that is used extensively throughout New Mexico and Southern Colorado, but I have also successfully used this fly in other areas of the West to include the Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain Park regions. The name assigned this pattern was accomplished locally and conflicts with the original Wardens Worry pattern which is a streamer type fly. Some members of the Flyfishing Community would simply call it an oversize Renegade less the gold rear tag. This pattern is well adapted for novice or budget minded tyers because it is relatively simple to tie and the larger size 8 saddle hackle used is more economical than the smaller neck hackle used on the Renegade.
This fly is fished in the usual dead drift fashion or a down and across Sawyer method. A good choice when nothing else seems to produce.

Wardens Worry.jpg (165493 bytes)

  Hook: Mustad 9671, Size 8
Mustad 9672, Size 8
Tiemco 2302, Size 8
Thread: Black 3/0
Tail: None
Rear Hackle: Brown or Ginger Saddle Hackle
Under body: Peacock Green Wool Yarn
Body: Peacock Herl
Front Hackle: White Saddle Hackle

.Tying Instructions:

  1. Properly place the hook in the vise jaws. Flex the hook sideways slightly to be sure the hook has been properly tempered at the factory. Apply thread behind the hook eye and wrap thread in fairly tight wraps back to the bend of the hook. Cut off excess thread.
  2. Tie in one Brown or Ginger Saddle hackle at the hook bend. Advance the thread toward the hook eye about 1/16".
  3. Wrap the hackle forward in tight wraps to the thread position which will result in forming the rear hackle of the "fore and aft" style pattern. Do not overlap the hackle wraps as it will cause the hackle to flare uncontrollably. Simply place the hackle stem as close together as possible in succeeding wraps.
  4. Tie in three pieces of long Peacock Herl and a piece of Peacock Green wool yarn at the point where the hackle wraps ended. Advance the thread to the 3/4 hook shank position. Wrap the wool yarn in overlapping wraps (form a cigar shape with the yarn) to the thread position. Cut off the excess yarn. The purpose of the wool underbody is to increase the size of the finished body to appear more appealing to the fish.
  5. Arrange the three strands of Peacock Herl so that the long fibers will point outward when wrapped on the body. Wrap all strands of Peacock Herl forward to the thread position. Tie off and cut off the excess. The purpose of using three strands of Peacock Herl is to cover the entire body area without adding more herl midway through this procedure. Should one piece of the herl break during wrapping, the fly may be completed with the remaining two pieces which eliminates the frustrating task of unwrapping and adding new herl. In addition, Peacock Herl is not a very durable material which is easily damaged by the sharp teeth of fish. Hopefully, one or two strands of herl will remain after such damage so that the fly somewhat resembles the original.
  6. Tie in a White Saddle Hackle at the point where the herl body ended (approximately the 3/4 hook shank position). Advance the thread to the normal eye position, then simply wrap the hackle up to this position in tight wraps. (You want the hackle stem as close together as possible during this wrapping procedure, but not overlapping). Tie off hackle and cut off the excess.
  7. Whip finish the head and apply head cement.
  8. The optional use of a bead head on this fly is very effective.

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