Anglers are always chasing the magic fly or lure that will catch fish. Lots of fish. Or big fish. Or lots of big fish. The search for this magic fish attractor is as old as time.
This maniacal search has introduced many new materials to the fly fishing and lure angling communities. Soft plastics, synthetic dubbing, foams, rubber. All are being incorporated into the design of the lure to end all lures.
As the summer doldrums hit and fish become more selective, sometimes it works best to turn back the clock and take another pass at an older pattern. One that has been lost or forgotten under the crush of new man made materials.
Enter the Devil Bug.
The Devil Bug was first created by Orley C. Tuttle in the 1920s and used to catch smallmouth bass in the lakes of the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. The fly was so effective that Tuttle and his fellow guides started to tie the fly in smaller sizes in the pursuit of brook trout.
At it’s peak, the Devil Bug was selling in excess of 50,000 bugs per year. An astonishing number of flies for a single pattern. Soon, anglers began to experiment with different color combinations. In addition to the original red body — white deer hair topping, became peacock herl body — natural deer hair topping, then yellow body-brown deer hair topping. The combinations were endless.
As the gentrified trout anglers became drawn to the pattern a more dignified name was attached to the Devil Bug. In trout fishing circles, the fly became known as the Doodle Bug. Political correctness existed over a century ago.
The fly morphed over the decades. With tail. Without tail. With front deer hair. With trimmed front deer hair. And then the fly disappeared into obscurity with the advent of foam. Chernobyl Ants took the Devil Bug’s place in the popularity contest and except for the diehard remote pond anglers, the Devil Bug disappeared.
Fast forward to 2022. At the North Country Angler, we will do custom fly tying for the patterns that are no longer commercially available. Remote pond anglers have been visiting the shop and placing orders for the Doodle Bug. We are happy to oblige.
The most popular color combination is the original red and white. The peacock herl and natural second. Anglers are a creative lot, so we have also tied the Devil Bug in orange and natural, black and yellow stripe and black, and chartreuse and white. Each time we do an order, the rejects go into our fly boxes.
Before the heat of the summer sent the brook trout to the cooler depths of their ponds, we had fun casting the Devil Bugs for rising fish. There was no clear winner in the different color combinations but size 12 and size 14 caught the most fish.
When we got off the ponds and into the small streams of the White Mountain National Forest, the Devil Bug continued to be a top producer in attracting brook trout. Working our way upstream, we would cast the Devil Bug to the top of the pool with a slack line cast and watch the Devil Bug dance on the current until the splash of a taking brook trout broke the trance. Too much fun.
With all this success, the plan is to bring the Devil Bug full circle. We have tied the Bug on size 6 and size 4 hooks and will see if the Devil Bug is still as big of a temptation the smallmouth bass of the Mount Washington Valley as they were to the smallmouth bass of the Adirondacks over a century ago.
Tip of the Week
With thunderstorms forecast, try to get on the water beforehand. Fish will feed prior to the change in barometric pressure brought on by these storms.
Steve Angers, a native to the Conway area, is the author of the book “Fly Fishing New Hampshire’s Secret Waters” and operates the North Country Angler.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.