March Fly of the Month

The Nuke Egg

Dean Wellman, BRSC Financial Secretary – Brule, WI

We featured the Glo Bug egg fly in March of 2023.  This March, we’re featuring the “Nuke Egg,” which is a very simple fly using one piece of yarn on top of the hook shank with an added translucent “veil” around the egg.  The veil imitates a loose egg from the redd.  This fly can be a game changer when fish have a little more time to look it over in slower, clearer currents.

Recipe

  1. Hook: Any good egg hook with a short shank and wide gap.  I like Mustad 9523 – size 6 or Gamakatsu C12 – size 10 in nickel.
  2. Thread: White Veevus 6/0.  Attach the thread about two hook eye widths behind the hook eye.  Wrap a base about 1/8th inch wide and return the thread to the middle of the base.
  3. Body: Glo Bug Yarn (some of the best colors are shrimp pink, salmon egg, or Oregon cheese).  Cut a 1-inch piece of yarn, using about two thirds (pencil width) of the Glo Bug piece.  There is a fine line between too much and too little.  I you use too much, the yarn will easily twist around the shank.  Tie the yarn down at the middle on top of the hook shank where the thread is positioned, using one loose wrap and then a very strong wrap almost to the breaking point of the thread.  Pull up the yarn and make 3 or 4 very tight wraps in front of it.  The yarn is tied in on top of the hook so as to not interfere with the hook gap thus getting better hook ups.
  4. Finishing the Body: Pull up firmly on both ends of the yarn and cut the yarn quickly about 1/8th inch up from the shank for a small egg and 3/16th of an inch up for a larger egg.  The yarn should pop into a half circle ball on top of the hook shank after being cut.  Next, tease the yarn around the shank with your fingers.  You don’t have to get this perfect.  The veil in the next step will cover the egg.
  5. Veil: Egg color Glo Bug Yarn.  Start with a piece that’s about 1 inch long, using about 1/16th of the rope diameter (a very small amount).  Spread it out to about 1 inch wide, which will be a very thin mat of individual fibers.  Next, fold the mat in half around the thread with the fibers perpendicular to the thread.  Slide the “veil” up the thread to the hook and then wrap it around the front of the egg.  Pull the veil tight to the thread with your opposite hand while wrapping.  You should quickly get the hang of this, getting a nice even “veil” around the egg. Take 3 or 4 wraps to secure and whip finish.  Pull the fibers of the “veil” rearward and trim just past the bend of the hook.

There are many YouTube videos for this fly.  The very thin veil creates a transparency around the egg that fish really react to.