A Great Bugger Variation…the JJ Special

 

Hook: Tiemco 5263 or or Dai-Riki 710, or Mustad 7672 -sizes 2-10
Thread: Brown or Black Monocord 3/0
Weight: .030 Lead Wire and/or Lead Barbell Eyes - try a beadhead version
Tail: Brown and Yellow Maribou with X-tal flash
Rib: Gold Wire
Body: Brown Glowbrite Chenille
Legs: Yellow Rubber Legs - try different colors
Hackle: Grizzly Hackle - color to suit
I ran across this fly several years ago and it consistently produces great results. It was developed 8 to 10 years ago by one of the owners of High Country Flies in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The story goes that he constructed the first version from leftover scraps on a tying table while fishing on the Bighorn River.

The original version had white legs but a lot of tyers have gone to yellow legs. You can also vary the body and tail colors. Most often this pattern is tied on a size 6 but don't be afraid to go small, size 12.

The pattern also works quite well on warm water species.

I think it is often taken by fish as a crawfish or sucker minnow. I generally fish it with a strip and jerk or jigging action.