Larry Graham's "Lightning Bug"

by Aaron Culley

The introduction of brass beads for weighting nymphs was the beginning of the Lightning Bug. It was immediately apparent that the bead headed nymphs got into the fishes feeding zone much quicker than traditional weighted nymphs. Successful use of flashy materials (namely Flashabou) in the design of nymph patterns began to expand. Larry used the Flashabou as ribbing in his earliest bead head nymphs. The thin material seemed to be productive but was less than durable. The addition of a wire rib to protect the flashabou changed pretty quickly to wrapping the entire abdomen with the flashabou and ribbed with the copper wire. Another flashy pattern, favored by western guides, the "flashback pheasant tail nymph" was used by guides and clients across the country. Larry searched for a material that would be more durable and quicker to tie, as his clients used the Lightning Bug with great success. He found pearlescent mylar on spools, which worked very well not only for the different widths available but also for the green color realized when wrapped on the hook. The appearance of new colors and holographic versions of flashabou were integrated into the patterns design with mixed results.

The peacock thorax provided an attractive thorax when combined with the greenish color of the mylar. Peacock has long been popular for use on nymphs, particularly because of its ability to retain that iridescence when submerged. Feathers from hen back hackles trimmed and tied in as legs above the peacock and were covered with the mylar as a shellback. The hook used by Larry is the Tiemco 3761, size 14. Larry prefers this longer shank to allow for the width of the bead head. The result was a pattern that produced very consistently and quickly became Larry's favorite fish producer.

News of the success spread and in the following season, other local trout fishing guides began fishing the pattern. The Lightning Bug quickly became popular on the Yakima River and would soon makes it's way to trout Mecca, Montana.

The pattern became more widely used and was published in spring 1998 in Fly Tying magazine. An article by the publication staff titled "Picks of the Pros- 25 sizzling Patterns for Fresh and Saltwater" was the formal national introduction of the Lightning Bug. It is also listed in the book written by Jim Schollmeyer and Ted Leeson "Trout Flies of the West" also published in 1998. Larry has shared the fly pattern with clients, guides and friends through out the northwest area.

Originally the beads used were made of brass. When tungsten beads were introduced, Larry experimented with replacing the brass beads. The much heavier tungsten beads became a hit right away. They were able to get to the fish in the heavier summer flows in the Yakima River. The problem with the tungsten beads in low flows is their propensity to hang up on rocks and boulders. As a result the brass beads are stilled used in lower water conditions.

Smaller sizes are favored in the Montana tailwaters, where small naturals are the most numerous. Summer-run Steelhead are commonly seduced by the popular pattern. In addition, one of Larry's clients used a Lightning Bug in Africa to catch Yellow Fish. The pattern continues to be used for other game fish with interesting results.

Why does the Lightning Bug work so well? Does it imitate mayfly nymphs? Is it a good green caddis larvae imitation? Perhaps it's the reflexive reaction from fish that's triggered with the flash and shape comes into vision. Trout are very attracted to the pattern and the results have been outstanding.

If you have not tried the Lightning Bug, do yourself a favor.

Note, Larry Graham Died November 27, 2002 to colon cancer.

How to tie Larry Graham's Lightning Bug