Kitchen Clog Fly Tying Tutorial

With the high water fishing I had last year I needed a fly that the fish could see easily and they could feel when visibility was really bad. I’ve found more success in impressionistic patterns that could imitate anything from a sculpin to a crawfish, so I started there. I fished Wooly Buggers, Complex Twist Wooly Buggers, and a few other patterns, but for this pattern I wanted something that had a bit more flash in it, but still pushed a lot of water. After playing around with a few ideas I started twisting up some rabbit dubbing that had thick/long guard hairs in it. When I was finished with that first fly it looked exactly like something I pulled out of the kitchen sink a few days prior. Thus, the Kitchen Clog was born.

I started fishing the pattern with good success, it seemed the movement and the overwhelming amount of flash was too good for the fish to pass up. The original tail was created with just one color of marabou, but I wanted something that stood out a little more for those days where every little bit helps. Two different tones of marabou that contrast was the answer to that!

With that inclusion I finished the fly you see here!

I like tying simple and effective patterns, especially streamers, and the Kitchen Clog is certainly both of those things. It may be tricky at first creating the dubbing loop and attaching it to the hook if you’re a beginner, but with practice you will be able to do this in no time at all!

If you have any questions or comments feel free to comment or shoot me an email!