egg
Glo Bug
The Glo Bug is the definitive egg pattern — a ball of bright yarn on a hook that imitates the single loose eggs trout feed on voraciously during spawning season. Simple to tie and devastatingly effective, it is a must-have pattern from fall through early spring on rivers with spawning salmon, steelhead, or trout.
Originated by Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes tyers, 1970s
Recipe
- HookEgg hook (TMC 105, Daiichi 1130) · Daiichi
- ThreadRed tying thread 8/0 or 70 denier · Semperfli
- BodyChartreuse or peach egg yarn (Glo-Bug yarn) · Enrico Puglisi
History
Egg patterns have been used for decades on Great Lakes tributaries and Pacific Northwest rivers where salmon and steelhead runs deposit millions of eggs. The Glo Bug, named after the bright Glo Bug yarn developed by Oregon fly tyers, became the standard egg imitation by the 1970s.
Tying overview
Tie a clump of egg yarn to the shank, trim it into a ball shape, and you're fishing. This is a 60-second fly.
Fishing tips
Dead drift the Glo Bug through spawning gravel and below spawning redds where loose eggs collect. Fish it with enough weight to keep it ticking along the bottom. It works as both a standalone fly and as part of a two-nymph rig above a smaller nymph.