Think of a regular San Juan Worm...and beef it up. These are the worms that I reach to when targeting Brown trout, or fishing in higher or stained flows. These aren't your run of the mill San Juan Worm and are absolutely great when you need your flies to get noticed and picked out of the drift by trout quickly.
These can be fished behind a small split shot or other weighted nymph in lower flows, but really shine in big water. In big flows, peg these behind a heavily weighted nymph and/or split shot. Keeping the weight a little bit away from these really lets them move and respond to the changes in the currents and makes them come alive in the water.
I offer these in a host of different colors tailored to specific situations:
Worm Brown/Tan: One of the "daily driver" colors in the lineup. Something that won't offend the fish, and offers a juicy and calorie rich snack.
Dark Brown: Another everyday color that produces well in a variety of conditions. I reach for this shade most often when the water has a slight brown stain and the darker, opaque color holds it silhouette better.
Red: Red worms are a staple, not just on the White River system, but on trout waters across the country. Red works well in clear or stained water and is one of the backbones of a good worm selection.
Shrimp Pink: A great crossover color. This one shows up well in the water column, but also maintains a natural look. This one gets eaten....a lot.
White: I'm not sure why - but this one flat out works. It works even better when there are shad coming through the dam. I think the white is a trigger color, but the worm profile shows them something different from all the shad patterns they see. I fish this often in turbulent water, and it works well even when there are no shad in the system.
FL Chartreuse: When you need your fly to get noticed quickly and from a long ways away. This color almost glows underwater and is the one to reach for anytime there is a greenish stain to the water. Brown trout in particular respond very strongly to Chartreuse.
FL Pink: Hands down one of the most productive shades of this fly. It is another "daily-driver" that fish just relate to extremely well. A must have in your box for the White River system.
Flame: Bold and aggressive - this one is meant to be a big attention getter in higher flows and dirty water. The Flame color stands out amongst everything else in the drift and is meant to get fish looking in your direction.
Cerise: This is the first color I reach for anytime I'm on the Norfork. It works well in the White River system as well, but really stands out in the Norfork. This is a bit of a cross-over between FL Pink and Red and is a staple in a good worm box.
Purple: Don't ask me why, but this one works at odd times when nothing else is seeming to get bit. Maybe it's just curiosity, but if nothing else is working - give this one a shot and you might just be surprised.
Orange: The orange worm is often overlooked, but is an absolutely fantastic producer. Show the fish something they don't see every day.
