My fishing brain trust, me and my fishing buddies, have been playing around with some dry fly attractors on the Lower Yuba and have been enamored with a Fat Albert type fly. This pattern is also called a Chernobyl Juicy Bug by Umpqua.
Many of the Fat Albert ties are wider and more robust looking. While the Juicy Bug tie is longer and the profile is thinner. You can play around and see what profile the trout in the rivers and streams you are fishing work best. You can play around with the leg colors too.
Fat Albert Recipe
- Hook – Tiemco 5262 – A 2X-long dry fly hook. The long shank makes it useful for imitating hoppers.
- Thread – 140 Denier Black Thread or 140 Denier Brown
- Body: 1/8 Foam, Tan and Brown
- Indicator: White Post Material
- Legs: Round Rubber Leg
Tying Instructions for the Fat Albert
Sounds Simple Right? Well let’s Tie one up and we’ll see.
Step #1 – Start the thread right behind the eye and make a thread base at least partially down the bend of the hook. Return the thread to within a few eye lengths back from the hook eye.
Step #2 – Cut a strip of brown foam that is about as wide as the gap of the hook. This strip should be at least four inches long. Tie the brown foam strip to the hook up near the eye and wrap back over it to the bend.
Step #3 – Continue past the bend a bit to anchor the foam down onto the curve of the hook. Wrap forward again with the thread to the front of the hook.
Step #4 – Cut a strip of tan foam that is about as wide as the gap of the hook like you did for the brown foam.
Step #5 Tie this tan strip in as you did with the brown foam, at the front of the hook on top of where you tied in the brown foam.Wrap back over the tan strip to the bend. Try to bind the foam down tightly as you wrap.
Step # 6 – Spend as much time as is necessary to cover all the foam on the shank with a nice smooth layer of thread as shown here. Be patient and get the foam completely covered with thread.
Step #7 -Bring the thread to about even with the hook barb and let it hang there in preparation for the next step.
Step #8 – Pull the tan foam forward and bind it down with two tight wraps of thread at a point about even with the hook barb(or between the barb and the point).
Step #9 – Lift the foam again and move the thread forward an equal distance. Lay the foam down again and bind down the second segment. Repeat the above process one more time to create three segments that extend just past the halfway point on the shank.
Note – For the Juicy Bug use a longer 3x hook and make 4 segments.
Step #10 – Pull the brown foam strip over the top of the tan foam segments and bind it down in the last tan foam section.
Step #11 – Cut a clump of clear crinkle synthetic post materials of choice. Bind it down in that same segment section at the center of its length. You want to use a material that compresses well and will create very little bulk. Less is better.
Step #12 – Take another tan foam strip (as wide as the hook gap) and tie it down in that same segment (by now you have realized to go easy on the number of wraps for each of these material tie downs…the cumulative effect is plenty to hold everything down but you don t want to make too many turns on any one material to keep the bulk to a minimum)
Step #13 – Cut the synthetic post material down to a short little puff.
Step #14 – Now for the fun stuff. Take a length of rubber leg material, fold it in half and tie an overhand knot so the two strands knotted together form a doubled up leg with a knot. Lay the leg alongside the far side of the hook with the knot at the legs right at the end of the foam body.The rear legs are tied in the same spot as the foam pulled forward earlier.
Step #15 – Tie up another double leg with a knot and tie on the side closest to you. Again, the knot the legs right at the end of the foam body.
Step #16 – Lift all three sheets of foam up and out of the way while you work the thread up to just behind the hook eye.
Step #17 – Lay the first tan foam strip down and bind it in place just behind the eye with a couple tight turns of thread.
Step #18 – Bind the brown foam down on top of the tan foam.
Step #19 – Bind the other tan strip down on top of the brown foam. Try to keep all the strips on top of each other.
Step # 20 – Clip the front end of all three foam strips just beyond the hook eye.
Step #21 – Tie in a single (un-knotted) strand of rubber leg along the near side of the hook in that front joint.
Step #22 – Tie another strand of rubber leg in along the far side of the hook as well.
Step #23 – Tie another strand of rubber leg in along the far side of the hook as well.
The Finished Product
The finished Fat Albert should look something like this.
Quartering View
Bottom View
Top View