Y2K Bug

[Rio Grande King]

We are covered up with snow here and lately I've been doing lots of reading about Ozark angling. One pattern that is often mentioned is the Y2K Bug. Sounds like one of those fat girl kind of bugs- lots of fun, but don't let your friends catch you using it. I know that it features a gold beadhead, but what else goes into it? What hooks and sizes are used?

[Brian Wise]

RGK,

Check this link out, the picture is a little different than others I have seen but it's pretty much same concept.

Y2K Bug

Brian

[Phil Lilley]

Interesting what a fish will eat.

[FishinBC]

"Fat Girl Bugs?" Used for that afternoon power bait hatch, right?

[beadhead]

those "corn" emergers are tought to tie.

[Rio Grande King]

Thanks guys. It is pretty repugnant.

[Brian K. Shaffer]

I cannot help but laughing a little, as this is a fly.

And as beadhead eluded to, this "corn fly" is tough to tie.

Sorry guys.. like the zebra midge.. I ruled this one out a while ago.

Out of my box - never / ever.

Sure I'll fish my SJ worm pattern and an egg (my low water egg)

But never a zebra midge and never a y2k bug.

call me crazy - Brian

[Guest flyfishBDS]

It shames me but I actually have to tye the thing for the store bins

Funnily enough a lot of people try and dignify this as an "egg pattern" _ well only if that egg is made by Berkley.

Which I why I tend to throw in some color variations including cerise and white in with combo's of chartruese, yellow and white.

Now if only I could add something to represent a wax worm we would have some real hatch matching

Actually if you wander along arkansas tailwaters and spot the discarded/lost chunks of powerbait you have a pretty good idea why it works.

Cheers

[Fox Statler]

I don't tie or use the Y2K either but there are two books that I know of that explain why this bug does catch fish, "What Fish See" and "How Fish Work". If you dropped one of these down in front of the troutcam, you would be impressed at how visible it is and how well it contrast against the background.

Tie a scud using the same colors and see how well it fishes.

If I am correct, the zebra midge is a silver bead with a black body with silver ribbing, so according to the "What Fish See" book, this pattern would be best used on a bright day, calm clear water. Cop colors, black-white-silver combinations are best on bright days, choppy clear water. Silver-white combinations are best on dark days, choppy or calm clear water.

The concept behind these bugs is the fish see them well under certain conditions.

I credit Bobby Snyder for developing jig fishing in high water condition on the White and North Fork Rivers. His method is a 1/80, 1/100, 1/124 or smaller fluorescent hot pink jig fished about 3 feet under an indicator regardless of the depth of the water. I wondered for a long time what the jig represented to the fish to have such marked success. Was it a flesh fly, an oligochaete worm, or what? I have finally come to believe that it doesn't represent anything, it is just highly visible. This is also the greatest crappie producing technique I have ever used.

I also find that the more organic pollution (ditty-mo, dead partially decompost algae) we have in the White and North Fork, the better attractor patterns work in low water and are a absolute must in high water.

[Brian K. Shaffer]

See - its funny.. I would fish a scud / sowbug pattern in solid yellow, not that bead headed thingy. Maybe its time to tie up day-glo wooly buggers.

Fox - your knowledge is astounding! Those books are yours too.. aint they ?

best fishes - Brian