Which River Flies Should We Tie?

0:00 Intro
0:33 Building The One Box
1:08 Walt’s Worm Setup
1:43 Simple River Flies
3:17 Squirrel Dub Body
5:05 Red Collar Hotspot
6:52 Sink Rate And Profile
7:25 Sexy Walt’s Version
10:04 Confidence Collar Dubbing
11:52 Euro Nymphing Uses
12:30 Where This Fly Fits

This fly tying video shows how to tie Walt’s Worm two ways for river trout and grayling fishing, starting a subscriber-led all-purpose river fly box series.

The video introduces a new river fly tying series built around the idea of creating one practical fly box for a full day on the river. The first pattern chosen is Walt’s Worm, tied first with a red-orange collar and then in a second version using a scruffier confidence collar. The tutorial explains the hooks, beads, wire, dubbing, collars, sink-rate considerations, and fishing uses that make this simple nymph a reliable river pattern for European nymphing and conventional nymphing.

What's covered in this video:

* The video opens by moving on from the Orkney series and explaining the demand for more river patterns, with the aim of building a single all-purpose river fly box.

* The “One Box” idea is introduced as a practical river fly box that should cover streamers, dries, bugs, wet flies, and other patterns for a full day away from the car.

* Viewers are invited to help shape the box by suggesting the flies they would carry if they could only take one box to the river for a day’s fishing.

* The first pattern selected for the series is a Walt’s Worm with a red collar, tied as a simple but effective river nymph for trout fishing.

* The materials for the first version include a size 14 Hanak H450 barbless hook, a Hanak Round Plus 3.5 mm tungsten bead, and bright red-orange thread from The Flysmith.

* A small amount of varnish is applied to the hook shank to help bed the GSP thread down and improve the durability of the fly.

* The tutorial explains why simple river flies are useful, because anglers often lose nymphs to trees, snags, and the bottom while fishing moving water.

* A small soft wire rib is tied in through the tungsten bead and used to create a visible rib through the body dressing.

* The video explains that Walt’s Worm can be adapted in many different ways, and the version shown is only one practical approach rather than a fixed recipe.

* Trout Line hybrid squirrel dub is used for the body, with its spiky guard hairs helping create texture and a natural nymph profile.

* The body is built with a small taper, using a dubbing noodle and additional dubbing passes to create a slightly thicker cigar-shaped profile.

* The wire rib is brought through the dubbed body at roughly 2 to 3 mm spacing, with the size 14 hook described as a useful sweet spot for many river trout situations.

* The red-orange collar is built with thread and resin, creating a small hotspot rather than an oversized bright trigger point.

* The finished first fly is brushed out with a dubbing brush, while the video explains how scruffing out the body can affect profile and sink rate.

* The tutorial then moves to a second version of Walt’s Worm, described as a “Sexy Waltz” style by some anglers and as a long-standing bread-and-butter river nymph by the presenter.

* The second fly follows a similar tying sequence but uses UTC thread after the intended black thread cannot be found.

* A copper rib is used again, although the video notes that an orange Glo-Brite rib is sometimes used on this style of fly.

* The same squirrel dubbing is used to form the body, keeping the pattern simple and practical rather than overcomplicated for the benefit of the fly tier.

* Hends number 17 dubbing is used to finish the collar, with Hends 45 also mentioned as another useful option for this style of river nymph.

* The collar is lightly roughed out rather than the full body, giving the second version a slightly different look and movement in the water.

* The finished Walt’s Worm variants are described as suitable for European nymphing and also useful for conventional nymphing methods.

* The video explains that a size 14 fly with a 3.5 mm bead would usually be fished on the point of a two-fly Euro nymphing rig unless a faster-sinking option such as a perdigon is needed.

Mentioned in this video: Orkney series, river patterns, One Box, fly box, streamers, dries, bugs, wet flies, Walt’s Worm, red collar, Hanak H450, Hanak Round Plus 3.5 mm tungsten bead, The Flysmith, red-orange thread, GSP thread, varnish, soft wire, copper rib, Trout Line hybrid squirrel dub, macro camera, dubbing noodle, wire rib, size 14 hook, resin, whip finish tool, dubbing brush, sink rate, profile, Sexy Waltz, bread and butter fly, UTC thread, orange Glo-Brite rib, Wales, UK, Hends number 17, Hends 45, European nymphing, Euro nymphing, conventional nymphing, two-fly rig, buzzers, perdigon.