With spring essentially here in Arizona, I wanted to remind everyone that if you are looking to refill your fly box or add to your wardrobe, the Arizona Wanderings shop is fully stocked and operational. Spring is usually the time when many guys from the Southwest start to think about heading to the tailwaters and especially the San Juan River. The San Juan River collection in the Shop is a great place to start if it’s the first time heading to the river or if it is just time to refill the midge box before getting out on any of the Western tailwaters where the bugs are small.

Streamer patterns are also a great place to start on many of Arizona’s creeks and lakes. The Simi-Seal Buggers that I tie up are super durable and will do the trick when trying to fool those big browns and bows. I have even tempted a few of the carp and bass in the local lakes and ponds with a nice green simi-seal bugger.

Finally, if your looking for some good mojo once you get on the water, better pick up an Arizona Wanderings t-shirt. I have these shirts currently in Medium to XXX-L. I always appreciate the support, so swing on over and pick up an Arizona Wanderings T-shirt.

On a side note, I have been slowly but surely working on a new project for the past several months and after putting the finishing touches on it, I will be launching a new product in the Arizona Wanderings Shop. I’m excited to have it done and share it with my readers, so please stay tuned.  As always, thanks for the support. If you haven’t had a chance, go check out the Arizona Wanderings Shop.

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Aside from being my go to streamer for the deep pools or swollen flows of the trout creeks, I have been having quite a bit of success in the urban ponds throwing green Simi Seal Buggers. John Rohmer originally started tying the Simi Seal Leech and his recipe can be found here. The Bugger is simply a variation of of this original pattern but it is my go-to streamer when nothing else seems to work.

1. Bead on a hook. I prefer something in a size #12-8. These orange glass beads from the craft store seem to be the ticket.

(Whoever made this stuff should get a pat on the back…)

2. Wrap thread back.

3. Add a couple of turns of weighted round wire. 6 or 7 turns usually does the trick for me and if I have need to get my bugs deeper, I will add softweight to my line.

4. Secure wire with thread wraps and then add a marabou tail. In John Rohmer’s original simi seal leech he uses simi seal for the tail. I think the marabou has more motion in the water so I prefer it. I purposefully tie the tails long as I think that it also gets more movement and if worse comes to worse I can always pinch some of the marabou off.

Accept no substitute…

5. Dubbing loops are no fun.

6. Dub forward. The messier the better. In Rohmers video, he takes a popsicle with a little bit of velcro on the end and tease out the fiber to give the leech more bugginess.

7. Whip Finish.

Everyone loves the Simi Seal Bugger

Definitely check out Greg’s nets over at Sierra Nets…unbelievable works of art.

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