Honey Bug

[GreenWeenie]

I have heard a lot about the Honey Bug but have yet to find a picture of a honey bug or definitive tying instructions. It seems like tying instructions vary from source-to-source and some directions make it seem that the honey bug is nothing more than a cream colored non-beadhead green weenie while other directions seem to indicate that it is something different.

Looking for some clarity on this one and any help is appreciated.

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Gotta have the right material for this. The correct stuff is cotton chenille, and there are still lots of places to find it. Three places off the top of my head are Big Meadows Fly Shop (owned by our fellow PAFF member Sandfly), E. Hille's, and Little Lehigh Fly Shop.

The original honeybugs were tied by stripping some of the cotton off the core and tying the chenille in so it looks like "tails". Just wrap the rest of the chenille up the hook shank to one eye length from the eye, tie the chenille off, clip excess, and whip finish a small head. I'm not sure what hook the original calls for, but a standard nymph hook would probably be fine. Tails in, or tails out, ya gotta strip the cotton from the core and tie in the core only, or it will unravel.

Takes all of 30 seconds or so to tie.

 

[live2fish]

Here are the instruction for tying the honey bug.



Berger's Honey-Bug (ORIGINAL)

Instructions for tying Honey-Bug

1. Fasten hook tightly into vise at bend in the conventional manner.

2. Cutoff 3 " piece of body material and with nails of thumb and forefinger, pull 1/4" of material exposing 4 center strands.

3. Pull out one of these center strands and then pull off an additional 3/4" of body material.

4. Hold 1/2" of these center strands in your left hand against the bend of the hook and wrap tightly to the eye.

5. Then wrap the body material tightly back to the bend, and pull off excess body material, exposing 3 strands at this end.

6. Keep 6 center strands on top of hook at the bend.

7. Cut off 6" piece of nylon thread, wet it, and wrap twice tightly around the 6 strands and hook at the bend and tie off with a square knot.

8. Cut off all excess material 1/32" from knot. No lacquer is required, but may be used if desired.

If a tail is desired, cut off center threads 3/8" from knot.

Body material may be used for wet flies or streamers.

 

[MKern]

Like H-A stated, Sandfly has a supply, and from when I worked at Hille's, they had a ton of some colors, but were out or close to running out of others (phone call couldn't hurt).

If I'm correct, they no longer can aquire cotton chenelle. So if you are truely interested, I wouldn't dilly around.

 

[tomgamber]

One step the guy who showed me to tie them did that was left out in the above instructions: Take a needle and put just a drop of bleach on it...bleach the underside of the bugs but be very light with it as you may end up bleaching the whole bug if you use too much or are not careful.

You can also loosely wrap lead wire around the hook first then flatten with a pliers to give a flatter platform to wrap the chenille (yarn) around for a weighted, flatter bug profile.

 

[GreenWeenie]

Thanks everyone. I figured it was more than just plain chenille wrapped around a hook but the instructions I found never quite fully explained exactly what you needed to do.

Thanks again.

 

[MKern]

There is a chenelle fly that is similar, but just isn't the same.

Bruce's Chenelle Fly: hackle fibers for tail, bright chenelle for a body, and wrapped hackle just behind the head.

Personally, I have never tied a Honey bug, because it's one of those flies that you "have to have" (meaning - I'd want) in every color, and at @2.50 a pack, it adds up. Plus they would then take up a ton of space in a fly box, with a couple flies in every color in a couple hook sizes.

I also would tie Bruce's Chenelle fly, unless I fished a lot for pan fish.

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Like many things in fly tying, cotton chenille is something that is widely available. Before I did some research, I bought every skein a local piece goods shop had in stock, as I also heard it was no longer available. Well, it is available, and I had several miles of the stuff. I gave lots away, but still have a lifetime supply and then some. The chenille is easy to find, but finding the right colors is another story. That leaves dying it as an option, but it's just not worth it. If you don't dye it right, the color leaches out quickly. Getting the color right is an excercise in futility.

Sandfly has the good stuff. If you really want to knock yourself out, here's some bulk sources:

http://www.jimmybeanswool.com/knitting/yarn/CrystalPalace/CottonChenille.asp

http://www.numei.com/cottonchenille.htm

 

[sandfly]

I have the original, Theres only one sorce for it now..most others are copies and not the same..(more dense or to fine)