Paul's December 2019 Fly of the Month

McKenna's Rumble Bug

*Special Note – The second picture was taken with a UV light.  You clearly see how vibrant the Glo-Brite Fluorescent Orange thread is.  Also, jig hooks have less shank area than traditional hooks.  A size #16 jig hook is closer to a traditional #18 hook. My preferred size hook for this pattern is a #16 jig hook.

Hook:  Size #14 to #18 barbless jig hook. 
Bead:  Silver slotted Tungsten bead or color of choice.  For a size#16 hook use a 7/64” bead.
Tying Thread:   Orange Glo-Brite Fluorescent thread & Purple Glo-Brite Fluorescent thread . 
Tail:  8-10 Wood duck fibers.
Tag:  Orange Glo-Brite Fluorescent thread.
Body:  A base of Purple Glo-Brite thread with a strand of Pearl Flash-a-bou over wrapped on top of your purple thread.  The Flash-a-bou wraps are then coated with UV Resin.
Collar:  Equal portions of Rainbow Sow Scud Dubbing & Rainbow Senyo Fursion Dub.  

This fly was developed by competition fly fisher Dave McKenna.  It’s kinda’ a cross between a ‘rainbow warrior’ & a ‘lightening bug’.  It works just as well as those two patterns and it’s a euro nymph you definitely want in your box.  It was originally designed to fish the Rumble river in Cherokee North Carolina after it was hit by heavy rains & stained water.

Begin by placing your bead on the hook and mount it in your vice.  Start your Orange Glo-Brite thread immediately behind the bead.  Take a few wraps and cut off the tag end.  Continue to make touching wraps down the hook shank until it lines up with the hook point.  Next, snip off 8-10 wood duck fibers for the tail.  Keep the tips aligned.  Tie in a tail about a hook shank in length.  Your going to wrap a little beyond the hook point when you tie in your tail.  It will become part of your ‘orange tag’.  Wrap your orange thread all the way back up behind the bead.  Whip finish and cut it off.  Now tie in your Purple Glo-Brite thread behind the bead.  Take a few wraps and cut off the tag end.  You’re now going to tie in your strand of Pearl Fash-a-bou.  Continue wrapping down the hook shank leaving a ‘tag end of orange’ at the end of the hook shank.  Bring your thread back up behind the bead.  Make ‘touching’ wraps of the Flash-a-bou over the purple thread and back up behind the hook eye.  Tie and cut off the tag end.   Coat the Flash-a-bou body with a thin layer of UV Resin and cure it with your light.  Next, mix equal amounts of Rainbow Sow Scud dubbing & Rainbow Senyo Fusion Dub. Now dub a slim noodle on your thread and create a short fuzzy collar behind the bead.  You want a minimal collar to ensure that the fly sinks quickly.  Do a 4-5 turn whip finish and your fly is complete. 

Tightlinevideo/Tim Flagler has an excellent instructional video on how to tie this fly below:

If you have any questions about this fly or would like to submit a Fly of the Month I can be reached at 203 305-3850 or at pdinice@frontier.com .