Green Weenie

Bright chartreuse chenille. Deadly simple attractor for stocked and recently planted trout.

Printed on the Queen of spades

The Green Weenie is a loop of chartreuse chenille on a hook, sometimes with a bead. It is one of the simplest flies anyone fishes, it looks like nothing an entomologist would recognize, and on eastern and Appalachian streams it catches trout with a consistency that irritates people who prefer their flies dignified.

The most likely explanation is inchworms. Green caterpillars drop out of streamside trees in enormous numbers in late spring and early summer, and a bright green tube is a decent representation of one. It also passes for a caddis larva, and in the smaller sizes for a variety of green grubs that end up in the drift.

It is worth carrying for exactly the days when nothing else is working. On a bright, low, clear stream in June where every trout has refused three respectable patterns, a Green Weenie under an indicator will often produce the first fish of the afternoon.

What does a Green Weenie imitate?

Inchworms and caddis larvae.

How do you fish a Green Weenie?

Dead drift under an indicator or as a dropper below a dry fly. Fish it close to overhanging trees and brush where real inchworms would be falling in.

When should you fish a Green Weenie?

Late spring and early summer, when inchworms are dropping from streamside vegetation. Effective through summer on freestone streams.

What are the quick tips for fishing it?

• Fish it tight under overhanging trees — that is where the naturals fall.
• A superb dropper beneath a dry fly on small streams.
• Do not let its appearance put you off. It works.

How is a Green Weenie tied?

• Hook: 1XL nymph or scud hook, #12-#16
• Bead: gold or black, optional
• Body: chartreuse chenille, tied as a loop or short tag

Dressings vary by tier and region. Treat this as the common recipe, not the only one.