Fly Tying Video: The Versatile Yuk Bug

The Yuk bug is one of my go-to flies and I can fish it throughout the year. During early spring I'll dead-drift it under an indicator, with a beadhead dropper behind it. Or I may fish it alone, as a streamer, and rip it off the banks. By mid-summer I’ll fish it as a true crayfish imitation. That’s because crayfish molt and move to shallow water a few times a year.

The fish follow them into the shallows—often into water so shallow you would not expect a large fish to hold there. These fish are willing to expose themselves in the shallows because crayfish are a huge protein source. Sometimes I’ll find these fish in just inches of water, places where I am surprised to see them. When imitating crayfish, I strip this fly very fast, just as a natural fleeing crayfish would move. When fishing the Yuk Bug I favor large sizes, meaning size 2 and 4. But I tie some size 6 imitations as well.

This pattern has been around for a while; I tweaked it a bit by adding dumbbell eyes and rubber legs, and I lengthened the tail slightly. Man, is this a great bug. I have one fly box full and dedicated to this fly. Make sure you take it to the water this fall and beyond—it will pay dividends.