Dan’s Worm Fly

Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that give us the most pleasure. This issue we focus on a very simple fly that when tied and fished correctly is deadly on spooky flats species like whiting and bream.

Dan Ivanoff is a name familiar to many who have visited or bought from FlyWorld in Bayswater, Western Australia. Dan is one of those guys that makes the most of any fishing opportunity that he can get, and I don’t blame him. Time is in short supply these days, and he developed this pattern to take advantage of his local flats.

Whiting are fun to catch, and great for honing your skills for more serious adventures chasing bonefish or blue bastards.

Hook choice is important, and Dan chooses the Tiemco TMC784 in smaller sizes for its nice open gape, short shank and strength. He experimented with the usual bonefish fly hooks and found that whiting would often hit the tie-in point and foul- hook themselves under the jaw, which prompted the change to short shank hooks. The TMC784 is a great pattern, and a firm favourite of mine for tying Eye Flies too.

Extra small dumbbell eyes are mandatory — worms live on the bottom, no question about it. Your fly has to get there — fast! Dan likes the extra small tungsten hourglass eyes for extra sink rate, particularly when using the wide gape TMC784. There is no parachute effect with this fly — it gets down without delay. That’s not to say that other small dumbbell eyes won’t do the job – I like to use brass dumbbells in a colour to match the worm, and I avoid the use of lead wherever possible — just make sure there is enough weight to anchor the hook upright.

Dan often covers the hook shank with thread wraps, more to reduce glare off the hook than anything else. The wing can be one of a few materials commonly available, and I’m sure there will be some experimenting going on this summer. Ultra Chenille in the standard size is our favourite – cut it to length, burn the tip to create a taper and you are done. Your worm should be 2–3 times the shank length long, and tied to sit upright as though it is poking its head out of a hole. Ultra Chenille is tough… It won’t disintegrate and will last for many a fish.

An alternative is Squirmy Wormy material — but watch where you store them as the rubber can react with some plastics. Don’t ask me how I found that out, it wasn’t pretty.

There is also a fantastic looking material from Hareline called Pearl Core Braid. It’s a pearl braid with a coloured core that you tie in the same way as with suede chenille, also burning the tip to stop it from unravelling. Not quite as tough as Ultra Chenille, but may turn the tide for you on the right day as it is more supple. Yes, it is shiny – but in the water it reflects its surrounding and looks more lifelike.

After forming a neat head, finish off with a coat of your favourite UV resin – I like to use Solarez Ultra Thin, which bonds well.

There are a few colours that work nicely — tan, of course but also a dull red, orange and yellow. I was thinking of trying a chartreuse version this summer — there are some small sea-cucumbers locally that the whiting like to eat, so why not?

Of course, you can get in touch with Dan any time at FlyWorld to talk flies and fishing and also follow him on Facebook, where you’ll find all sorts of handy tips and tackle reviews.

Fish your worm flies on long fluorocarbon leaders tapering down to 6 lb. Worms don’t shoot across the universe at breakneck speed, so you should spot your fish and lead it, giving only the slightest twitch to get their attention. They will scoot over and usually inhale the fly without you feeling a take, so once the fish stops in the vicinity of your fly, give a short strip-strike. If you feel weight – you’re on! If not, pause… The fish will often follow and have another go at inhaling the worm.

Dan’s worm fly is the perfect ammunition for your salty #4–6 weights on southern flats through summer. So get tying, and post some pictures on the FlyLife Forum.