How to Tie Glow Bugs

A glow bug, or glo bug, is a fly pattern designed to imitate a salmon egg. Salmon eggs have been used very successfully throughout the years to catch a variety of trout species. The glow bug captures the shape of a salmon egg and combines that with fluorescent colors that stand out and attract hungry fish. The glow bug pattern is one of the easier patterns to tie.

Things You'll Need

  • Fly tying vise
  • Small dry fly hook
  • Fly tying thread
  • Glow bug yarn
  • Scissors
  • Head cement
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place a small dry fly hook in the jaws of a vise so that the bend of the hook is held securely in place with the shank on top and the point on the bottom.

    • 2

      Wrap the shank of the hook with fly tying thread. Begin wrapping the shank of the hook just below the eye and work down to the bend. Wrap the thread back up to the eye. Choose a thread color that matches the glow bug yarn to be used.

    • 3

      Cut three 18-inch lengths of glow bug yarn with scissors. Hold the three lengths and pinch them together one inch from the end.

    • 4

      Place the gathered and pinched yard on the hook. Position the pinch just below the eye of the hook with one inch of yarn extending forward over and beyond the hook eye. Keep the yarn on top of the hook and secure it with several turns of thread.

    • 5

      Fold the one inch of yarn extending over and beyond the eye back toward the shank so that a small amount of the shank is exposed just behind the eye.

    • 6

      Wrap the shank of the hook just below the eye and in front of the pulled back yarn with several turns of thread.

    • 7

      Pull the glow yarn up away from the shank. Wrap the thread around the base of the yarn with several turns of thread. Tie the thread off to secure it in place.

    • 8

      Cut the yarn at an upward angle with a pair of scissors. Cut the yarn so that 1/2- to 3/4- inch of yarn extends up from the shank. Fluff the yarn downward and trim with scissors to form a round shape.