Green caterpillar for Rudd (Tortrix worm)

The "worming up" video of Gink & Gasoline just reminded me of fishing Rudds last year (May) on a dry fly. While having success with the "Roger Hills stillborne midge", a battalion of bright green caterpillars were abseiling with thin wires out of big oak trees behind me. Those little Bear Grylls worms probably were European oak leafrollers (Tortrix viridana).

The Rudds loved them and uncontrollably took these soft 15-20 mm caterpillars from the surface. I did - obviously- did not have any green flies with me ....I observed that day that shoals of Rudd were only near/under the big oaks....it probably had something to do with the caterpillars. So find and follow the oaks this coming May month.

I forgot about this incident. To be prepared I just tied a few "green inch worms" from my green squirmy worms from a puffer ball. I call them for convenience's sake Tortrix worm. It has not a lot to do with fly tying. Just drive your hook point 1 or 2 mm through a thin squirmy worm (20 mm length) and tie to the hook shank. No legs no frills, just some happy plastic.


To enhance the segmented look on a squirmy, I figured out a cunning trick: partially snip (with a sharp pair of scissors) the diameter of the squirmy body in segments, leaving only 0,5-1 mm of material in tact. This weakens the short squirmy body resulting in more liveliness and a segmented look.