Weird Flies That Work: Stanky Leg
the fly fishing equivalent of a tube jig
June 2024
My first exposure to a tube jig came when covertly fishing a local pond stocked full of trout. We weren't the only ones with the idea, and when recognizing like-for-like, we compared tactics. To my amazement, our rival group wasn't even fishing flies, they had rigged tube jigs onto their fly rods. It's sort of a squid shaped plastic bait if you've never seen one, and that jig quickly humbled and embarrassed our woolly buggers. Ever sense, I've always kept that tube jig fly in the back of my mind. Though several iterations passed through my fly box, it wasn't until I stumbled on the "Stanky Leg" that I really decided to test the pattern. Unsurprisingly, it's a fun fly to fish. You can nymph it as an anchor fly, strip it as a streamer, and I've had surprising luck swinging this fly as well!
I'm assuming it's intended as a crayfish imitation, but the swimming action should get attention in lots of different situations. This is one fishy fly.
Check out this video for the full recipe: