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Goober Bug Fly Step-by-Step:
As often as not, the warmwater patterns shared in this Step-by-Step series were brought to my attention by members of local Fly Fishing Clubs. Such was the case with the Bad Hair Day Fly that I shared in late 2021. And such is the case with this week’s fly: the Goober Bug. In each instance, a copy of the fly was handed to me after a KFF meeting by fellow member, Jim Johnson. In the case of the former, I fished it the following morning and quickly landed my second Bowfin of the year. In the case of the latter, it sat in my truck’s change tray until the weather finally began to warm in recent weeks.
The creation of Texas angler, Bruce Sublett, this fly is a buggy, leggy impressionistic pattern that doesn’t really look like anything in particular (at least to the angler). Yet, in the water it is a proven largemouth pattern and has even proven effective on smallmouth, brown trout and larger panfish.
| Materials: | ||
|---|---|---|
 Gamakatsu B10S (#4-10) |  70 Denier (Burnt Orange) |  Lead-free Wire |
 Rubber Legs (Colored to match) |  Ice Chenille (Burnt Orange) |
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Goober Bug Fly Step-by-Step Tying Instructions:
(Mobile Viewers: Click images to enlarge)
Tips and Tricks
- Color Selection – While my personal experience with this pattern is limited, I’ve seen this pattern tied in Olive, Brown, Black and Purple as well as the Orange shown above. Consider having a few options available. You never know what the bass may be keying on.
- Hook Point Up – Beyond the aforementioned largemouth, something about this pattern makes me think of redfish as well. Consider tying in crustacean colors, and be sure to keel the hook by tying a few sections of lead-free wire along the top of the hook shank instead of wrapping it around the shank. This should cause the fly to sink hook point up and help avoid snags when targeting reds in the marsh.
Proof of Concept
Sadly, nothing to report for this pattern just yet. An attempt to prove this pattern out on the bass of New Orleans’ City Park Lagoon was largely thwarted by 15+ mph winds. Another Jim’s recommended patterns did come through, however, and should be making its way onto this blog within the coming weeks.
As for the goober bug…be sure to check back. There’s still a lot of spring fishing left to be done.
Tight Line!
Chris
Species Caught on Goober Bug Fly to Date:
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Good tip about tying in shanks of lead on top of the hook. I recently did that with some wooly buggers and not only avoided snags, but got some good top of the mouth hook sets on bass.