Good morning Matt!.I hope your fly does come unrapped this weekend.That would mean the fishing was good for you this weekend.Btw still been busy with my father.Overall things have been a little better.Hope you have a safe and successful trip this weekend on the Savage.
Good morning Matt. Morning ☕️and fly tying video. I thought I saw an ant like that walking home from the local tavern one night. 🙄. All kidding aside I bet that works. Purple seems to be one of the colors that fish are attracted to up here. Hope it works well for you. Take care and have a great weekend. Time for a ☕️reload.
Psycho ant, don’t have it. Psycho aunt, had a couple 😂. This looks fun to tie. I like the lower positioning of the legs. I would think that would create more movement in the water? Good luck on the Savage this weekend. Hopefully we will see some successful footage. Have a great, safe and blessed Labor Day Weekend buddy. Thank you Matt.
Hahaha! I thought about making that play on words too Jeff. You're absolutely right that with the legs being lower they'll sit lower in the water. I guess I'll see how it does this weekend. :-)
Really like that one matt, you could change the colours to imitate different beasties like lime green for a cricket. Will defo be trying this one 😉 have a lovely weekend away
That is one funky looking fly bud. Thanks for sharing with us. You and your family have a wonderful weekend. Good luck fishing with that fly, have fun, stay safe, stay healthy and God Bless.
I think one leg set on each side will be fine, I don't think fish can count, but you never know. Neat fly, now I can use up some of that funny colored foam I got a few years ago in lot at a fishing show. Keep the good stuff coming Matt.
Well that's another one I'd never heard of until reading this comment! But you're exactly right. I wonder if the same person came up with both of them. I'd say one is definitely inspired by the other at least.
Wild colored fly but if you feel that pure works on the Savage in late summer/early autumn, go for it. Always enjoy the videos and good luck this long weekend fishing.
THIS! THIS WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT! Matt you are on fire! 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 This is right in my wheel house! It is like it could be from a movie “Beetlejuice Meets the Savage!” It TOTALLY works. Thanks! 😊
I fish this pattern a lot but have definitely found some flaws in the original design. 1) It spins the shank VERY easy, and just drove me crazy. I've tried several methods to keep it locked in place, the best being using superglue (NOT resin) on the shank before tying and then tying the middle section (where the hackle will later lie) super tight. I found by accident that this spreads the glue out from the center and into the adjacent foam underneath the foam segments. 2) Unless you're using the special high buoyant foam stuff from the fly shop it will ride pretty low -- on the verge of saturating. I quickly learned to ditch the hurl altogether and use fine black dubbing blended with synthetic peacock dubbing. Also, I take advantage of the hackle and use #4 dry fly flatwing feathers. It all helps keep it riding up. 3) I took a page from Kevin Hutchison's Llano Bug method when tying in legs -- the importance of leaving a tightly wrapped flat surface about 1/8th inch wide just before tying them in. It helps keep the legs from fouling on the hook. Great looking pattern you have. Thanks for the presentation.
Someone else just mentioned that! And this is the first I'm learning of that one. But yeah, I can't wait to tie that one and give it a try. Thanks for the note!
You were right Matt, I really like this one! Going to tie some up..Thanks a lot! It’s very close to the Llano bug that is my most used (hopper) fly by far..because it works! Yellow is the main color, but tan, and black in the low light work great also. I make them from dime size on #14 to 2.5” on #6 hook. I’m now on a frog popper run😂 From small 1”(#12)for panfish, up to 6”(2/0) Bullfrogs for big bass..the perch and small bass love the small version, just tied the large ones and rivers are muddy, but will practice with them this weekend. Have a great trip and wonderful Labor Day weekend my friend..Best wishes! Thanks again! 👍👍🎣
Oh man Charlie, frog poppers sound like a blast! I might just have to try some of those for my warmwater fish down here. And you have a great weekend too my friend. :-)
Good call Jim! Are you talking about his Terrestrials book? I see that one out there but have never had one to look through. If you have it, is it worth picking up? I do love some fun terrestrials. :-)
That's exactly where I'm putting it Tony! Only a few more weeks of terrestrial season here so I'm going to take advantage of it. Have a great weekend my friend. :-)
When I hear psycho I think of Norman Bates 🔪😱🚿and won't step into a shower 😉. In the world of flies I think of Harrison Steeves and Loco foam. Cool flies with foam. His Cow Killer 🐜 is sort of similar to this Psycho. I don't remember when or where I read about him, but it had to be very long ago 👴Maybe it was in a Warm Water publication that Fly Tyer used to have. Speaking of Fly Tyer their Autumn 2022 issue has John Geddes' Franken Toad, a psycho fly to be sure. He had a floating lizard in their mag last year. So I don't know who created the Psycho Ant, but I like it and all the other creative terrestrial ant and beetle patterns out there. Thanks Matt, another winner! ✌😵💫 far out man, now where'd I park the bus...
Far out Joe! I may have to look for a tie-dyed shirt to wear on the river this weekend. Speaking of Harrison Steeves... that was a new name to me but someone else mentioned him. Are you familiar with his Terrestrials book? If so, is it worth picking up? You know I love some good fat foamy bugs! Except for that Frankentoad you mention. I saw that thing and vowed that crazy monstrosity would never come off my vise! I did tie a frog/gurgler last week for the snakehead. Of course I haven't caught a snakehead yet but the pattern turned out pretty sweet! I'm kind of proud of it so I hope to catch something with it and tie it for the channel. Then I can even give it a name. Maybe I'll make a portmanteau out of frog and gurgler. What would that be, a Frugler? Oh wait, a Frogler would be a better name. I like it! Okay, I'm about to hit the road for the four-hour drive to the farm. There by bedtime, and on the water by sunrise. :-)
@@SavageFlies What the frogler you say!!! LOL. I used to "bleach" tie T shirts, not that far out but kinda cool. I do have a long sleeve tee tie dyed in autumn/earth colors from running our dogs at a hunt test some club held. Ha, that toad was a DIY construction project. I like how he made the eyes, but I ran out of foam hair curlers for the body. 😉Do you remember "spoolies"? There's some cool stuff people use for fishing lures. I saw that Terrestrials book some where but if its Steeves it's probably worth it. Well good luck with the "snakes" in that "frog water" Safe "trip" brother! 👍
Hey Matt☕️☕️ The psycho ant is huge and crazy! I think I would call it the Alien Ant🤣🤣🤣 Joyce and I have been exploring most of the week. But the really good places seen you have to hike to a lot of them. A little tough for me but I will try to get in better shape. It seems the stocking after Labor Day drops almost to zero. Except the Tail Waters. And the delayed Harvest won’t start till November 1 and goes to May 14. I will keep looking and it is absolutely beautiful here.
Great to hear Jim! I'll be heading out to the farm here shortly and hopefully get a few hours on the water Saturday or Sunday. The flows on the Savage have been down lately which is kind of annoying as all they have to do is open a couple valves to give us some faster, colder water!
Hi, Matt I'm commenting here because it's one of your newest posts. I frequently try tying your flies just after I view the ones that especially interest me. Lately, it's been the crayfish and the yellow hammer dry. I was thinking that I often have to make do with one item or another because I don't have the appropriate material that is called for. It might be fun if your viewers could reply with a picture of their versions of your fly. Perhaps it would be impossible or too much time for you, but I would also enjoy seeing some variations. (Although I also realize that some fly tyers would find this idea absolutely inappropriate! Who would dare mess with another's pattern?!) I really enjoy and appreciate your sharing patterns that aren't as well known and have great potential as well. Cheers and Happy Labor Day! Tom
It looked good in the water and I got a couple takes on it but didn't land anything. But you know what? The parachute hopper I tied a couple videos ago actually floated better than this foam one. Totally surprised me.
Psycho because it’s insanely large ant. I’ll bet it works & really want to hear what results you get this weekend. It looks buggy, has an ant-like narrow waist & wiggly legs. Why not?
A terrestrial season bug? Matt that thing is definitely 'extra-terrestrial". Please let us know how it works on the Savage, it might eat the fish instead of the other way around.
Ha! I had a decent day on the Savage this weekend. But nothing on terrestrials! I fished this and the parachute hopper and both got a few strikes but I couldn't close the deal. They did look pretty good in the water though. :-)
Ok Matt you've out done yourself with this one. LOL It's a great looking fly that had to come out of the 1960s. I want to see how well it works on my local creeks and ponds. Thanks for tying this one for us. It should be fun to tie and fish.
Hahaha! I've avoided the mop fly for several years now. And if you've noticed, I haven't tied a squirmy worm on here either! Just something about those two that I can't bring myself to tie. :-)
@@SavageFlies In my opinion, the "MOP" material is no worse than vinyl D ribs, closed cell foam, thin skins, mylar piping, flashabou or tungsten beads... Just because it comes from a mop doesn't make it taboo! How many of us raided the Christmas tree decorations for scraps of tinsel and shiny stuff? LOL Oh well, I tried... Long Live the MOP... 🤣
@@randymorris8740 Well, I've tried several mop flies, Randy and have yet to catch a fish on one. However, I've also tried several squirmy worm patterns and haven't caught anything on them, either. Several fish got excited and madly swam around the pink one; but as far as I know, no strikes. Thanks. Tom
Hi, Randy I need to update my earlier reply! Yesterday, on one of my favorite small AZ streams, the water was high and fairly swift from recent rains. The first fly that got any attention was my pink San Juan worms. They are a version of squirmy wormies, just usually a bit smaller. I did catch and release several, but I had difficulty setting the hook in time because the brown trout seemed to spit it out just after contact. I actually had better success with my renegade dry fly after the fish started feeding a little better. What the heck; I had fun and caught and released 15-20. Tom
![Digital Circus Episode 4 [TRAILER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/abZtsmMUbJo/mqdefault.jpg)
Nice fly matt good luck with it
Appreciate it Burt! And thanks for watching. :-)
Great job Matt. Good luck for the weekends fishing.
Appreciate it Ken! And thanks for watching. :-)
Matt interesting, give us a fishing report!! Thanks
Absolutely will Scott! I'm about to leave southern MD for the farm right now. On the water first thing tomorrow. :-)
Another great looking fly, thanks for sharing.
Appreciate it Paul! And thanks for watching. :-)
Nice fly Matt, hope you and the family have a great weekend on the Savage.
Appreciate it Phil! I sure hope to. :-)
Very cool looking ‘ant’. 😀. Definitely will try it and use various colors. Have a fabulous weekend. Thx Matt.
Appreciate it Clyde! And thanks for watching and you have a great weekend too!
Good morning Matt good morning everyone I like the way this one looks and I like the purple I have fun this weekend
Thank you Marty; I sure hope to!
A little bit of scrap San Juan Worm Chenille tied in also helps stop foam turning on the hook.
I’d have to say I believe that fly is going to catch fish. Thanks for sharing Matt. Hope you catch a few this weekend. Take care.
Appreciate it Glen! I hope so too my friend. :-)
Another nice one Matt, thanks for sharing have a blessed day my friend.
Appreciate it! And thanks for watching. :-)
Gorgeous looking fly Matt
Definitely going to try this one out
Thanks for the video and have a great weekend 😀
Cool name for a fly! I didn't know it either. Thanks for sharing with us.
Cool looking ant. Should be a fish catcher. Thanks for sharing Matt. Have a great Labor Day weekend.
Appreciate it Todd! And thanks for watching. :-)
Cool pattern Matt. Good choice with the purple. Good luck this weekend and thanks for sharing
Appreciate it Layton! The flows are pretty low on the Savage this week but I'll do my best to find the pools. You have a great weekend too!
Awesome looking fly. Hopefully it catches fish. Thanks Matt for all you do.
Appreciate it Chad! Have a great weekend my friend. :-)
Good Morning Sir Matt, this is a great looking fly. I hope it does well for you on the Savage. Have a great holiday my friend.
You too Edward! Lots of farm work this weekend, but I'm sure I'll squeeze in a couple hours on the river. :-)
Morning Matt! Looks like a fun tie. Going to try in the purple and also in black and maybe a red. Thanks for another excellent video!
Add a pink too Troy! As for gaudy hoppers, pink and this purple have always done okay for me. :-)
Will do! Thanks for the tip!
Another interesting fly. Can’t wait to hear how it does this weekend.
Definitely and interesting pattern! Good luck and I hope to hear how it did!
Good morning Matt!.I hope your fly does come unrapped this weekend.That would mean the fishing was good for you this weekend.Btw still been busy with my father.Overall things have been a little better.Hope you have a safe and successful trip this weekend on the Savage.
That's good news to hear Joe! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Have a great weekend my friend. :-)
pretty cool. I like it!
Thanks
OK, the purple does look pretty good. It looks like an easier tie than what I was thinking. Thanks for taking the time to show us how to tie it.
You got it Bruce! Thank you for sending it to me. :-)
Good morning Matt. Morning ☕️and fly tying video. I thought I saw an ant like that walking home from the local tavern one night. 🙄. All kidding aside I bet that works. Purple seems to be one of the colors that fish are attracted to up here. Hope it works well for you. Take care and have a great weekend. Time for a ☕️reload.
Thanks John! I'll see this weekend. Of course it might just attract the young, crazy "psycho" fish. :-)
I like the way the fly turned out nice
Appreciate it Mark! And thanks for watching. :-)
Awesome ANT!!!!!!!!!!!
Aww. . .man,I thought we were gonna see you fish it! Thanks for the best tying videos.
Psycho ant, don’t have it.
Psycho aunt, had a couple 😂.
This looks fun to tie. I like the lower positioning of the legs. I would think that would create more movement in the water? Good luck on the Savage this weekend. Hopefully we will see some successful footage. Have a great, safe and blessed Labor Day Weekend buddy. Thank you Matt.
Hahaha! I thought about making that play on words too Jeff. You're absolutely right that with the legs being lower they'll sit lower in the water. I guess I'll see how it does this weekend. :-)
One crazy fly, I see how it got its name. Lots of luck with this one. Have a great weekend and fun on the savage. Tight lines. 👍
Appreciate it Jim! And thanks for watching. :-)
Groovy fly Matt. The magic of Peacock herl always enhances a pattern. Rubber legs don't hurt either. Have fun on the Savage this weekend.
Thanks Mel! Maybe I should find a tie-dyed shirt to wear while fishing this groovy pattern. :-)
Really like that one matt, you could change the colours to imitate different beasties like lime green for a cricket. Will defo be trying this one 😉 have a lovely weekend away
Thank you Graham and you too my friend!
That is one funky looking fly bud. Thanks for sharing with us. You and your family have a wonderful weekend. Good luck fishing with that fly, have fun, stay safe, stay healthy and God Bless.
Appreciate it Jeff! I hope you and your family have a great holiday too. :-)
Very interesting tie - never seen one like that before. Hope it catches some fish for you. You'll have to let us know next week...good luck!
I think one leg set on each side will be fine, I don't think fish can count, but you never know. Neat fly, now I can use up some of that funny colored foam I got a few years ago in lot at a fishing show. Keep the good stuff coming Matt.
Looks like a Hippy Stomper-beetle style'd. It's a great pattern worth copying. Hippy Stompers hunt any where! Great video Matt
Well that's another one I'd never heard of until reading this comment! But you're exactly right. I wonder if the same person came up with both of them. I'd say one is definitely inspired by the other at least.
Wild colored fly but if you feel that pure works on the Savage in late summer/early autumn, go for it. Always enjoy the videos and good luck this long weekend fishing.
Appreciate it Ed! And thanks for watching. You have a great weekend too!
THIS! THIS WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT! Matt you are on fire! 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 This is right in my wheel house! It is like it could be from a movie “Beetlejuice Meets the Savage!” It TOTALLY works. Thanks! 😊
Hahahaha! Great comment Bill! The black and white striped legs do indeed look like Beetlejuice!
Sweet. I was pondering what to do with my purple foam. Very cool.
You will let me know when those lambs stop screaming, won't you? Clarice Starling...
Hahaha! I'm a horror movie junkie and man I loved that one. The whole series of books were great too. :-)
I fish this pattern a lot but have definitely found some flaws in the original design. 1) It spins the shank VERY easy, and just drove me crazy. I've tried several methods to keep it locked in place, the best being using superglue (NOT resin) on the shank before tying and then tying the middle section (where the hackle will later lie) super tight. I found by accident that this spreads the glue out from the center and into the adjacent foam underneath the foam segments. 2) Unless you're using the special high buoyant foam stuff from the fly shop it will ride pretty low -- on the verge of saturating. I quickly learned to ditch the hurl altogether and use fine black dubbing blended with synthetic peacock dubbing. Also, I take advantage of the hackle and use #4 dry fly flatwing feathers. It all helps keep it riding up. 3) I took a page from Kevin Hutchison's Llano Bug method when tying in legs -- the importance of leaving a tightly wrapped flat surface about 1/8th inch wide just before tying them in. It helps keep the legs from fouling on the hook.
Great looking pattern you have. Thanks for the presentation.
It's sort of like a supersized "Hippy Stomper", but with the front tied down.
Exactly right! Another pattern I had never heard of until reading all the comments here. Now I need to tie that one. :-) Thanks for the note!
Great looking fly Matt! I can’t wait to hear how well it fished. Looks really fun to Ty.
Appreciate it Barbara! And thanks for watching. :-)
Nice fly let us know how you did fishing it
Will do Lora! I'm heading out here shortly. :-)
It's similar to a Hippie Stomper, which works well for me.
Someone else just mentioned that! And this is the first I'm learning of that one. But yeah, I can't wait to tie that one and give it a try. Thanks for the note!
Cool pattern, will be giving it a try. Let me know how it does this weekend on the Savage. Be well my friend.
Hi Matt. What a "crazy" fly. Hopefully, the fish will go nuts for it out on the Savage. Let us know how it did. Good luck!
Will do Don! I'll at least have fun trying it. :-)
You were right Matt, I really like this one! Going to tie some up..Thanks a lot! It’s very close to the Llano bug that is my most used (hopper) fly by far..because it works! Yellow is the main color, but tan, and black in the low light work great also. I make them from dime size on #14 to 2.5” on #6 hook. I’m now on a frog popper run😂 From small 1”(#12)for panfish, up to 6”(2/0) Bullfrogs for big bass..the perch and small bass love the small version, just tied the large ones and rivers are muddy, but will practice with them this weekend. Have a great trip and wonderful Labor Day weekend my friend..Best wishes! Thanks again! 👍👍🎣
Oh man Charlie, frog poppers sound like a blast! I might just have to try some of those for my warmwater fish down here. And you have a great weekend too my friend. :-)
crazy name for this one matt....lol....see ya joe
Thought it could have been one of Harrison Steeves' patterns, but it's not in his book.
Good call Jim! Are you talking about his Terrestrials book? I see that one out there but have never had one to look through. If you have it, is it worth picking up? I do love some fun terrestrials. :-)
Another interesting bug it looks like it would be at home in a hopper box
That's exactly where I'm putting it Tony! Only a few more weeks of terrestrial season here so I'm going to take advantage of it. Have a great weekend my friend. :-)
Cool Video Bro …Pauly at Wilderness Coast on Fly in Australia 🤓👍🇦🇺
Appreciate it Paul!
When I hear psycho I think of Norman Bates 🔪😱🚿and won't step into a shower 😉. In the world of flies I think of Harrison Steeves and Loco foam. Cool flies with foam. His Cow Killer 🐜 is sort of similar to this Psycho. I don't remember when or where I read about him, but it had to be very long ago 👴Maybe it was in a Warm Water publication that Fly Tyer used to have. Speaking of Fly Tyer their Autumn 2022 issue has John Geddes' Franken Toad, a psycho fly to be sure. He had a floating lizard in their mag last year.
So I don't know who created the Psycho Ant, but I like it and all the other creative terrestrial ant and beetle patterns out there. Thanks Matt, another winner! ✌😵💫 far out man, now where'd I park the bus...
Far out Joe! I may have to look for a tie-dyed shirt to wear on the river this weekend. Speaking of Harrison Steeves... that was a new name to me but someone else mentioned him. Are you familiar with his Terrestrials book? If so, is it worth picking up? You know I love some good fat foamy bugs! Except for that Frankentoad you mention. I saw that thing and vowed that crazy monstrosity would never come off my vise! I did tie a frog/gurgler last week for the snakehead. Of course I haven't caught a snakehead yet but the pattern turned out pretty sweet! I'm kind of proud of it so I hope to catch something with it and tie it for the channel. Then I can even give it a name. Maybe I'll make a portmanteau out of frog and gurgler. What would that be, a Frugler? Oh wait, a Frogler would be a better name. I like it! Okay, I'm about to hit the road for the four-hour drive to the farm. There by bedtime, and on the water by sunrise. :-)
@@SavageFlies What the frogler you say!!! LOL. I used to "bleach" tie T shirts, not that far out but kinda cool. I do have a long sleeve tee tie dyed in autumn/earth colors from running our dogs at a hunt test some club held. Ha, that toad was a DIY construction project. I like how he made the eyes, but I ran out of foam hair curlers for the body. 😉Do you remember "spoolies"? There's some cool stuff people use for fishing lures.
I saw that Terrestrials book some where but if its Steeves it's probably worth it. Well good luck with the "snakes" in that "frog water" Safe "trip" brother! 👍
Hey Matt☕️☕️
The psycho ant is huge and crazy! I think I would call it the Alien Ant🤣🤣🤣
Joyce and I have been exploring most of the week. But the really good places seen you have to hike to a lot of them. A little tough for me but I will try to get in better shape. It seems the stocking after Labor Day drops almost to zero. Except the Tail Waters. And the delayed Harvest won’t start till November 1 and goes to May 14.
I will keep looking and it is absolutely beautiful here.
Great to hear Jim! I'll be heading out to the farm here shortly and hopefully get a few hours on the water Saturday or Sunday. The flows on the Savage have been down lately which is kind of annoying as all they have to do is open a couple valves to give us some faster, colder water!
@@SavageFlies I hope it goes well no fish today but seven yesterday 👍
Hi, Matt I'm commenting here because it's one of your newest posts. I frequently try tying your flies just after I view the ones that especially interest me. Lately, it's been the crayfish and the yellow hammer dry. I was thinking that I often have to make do with one item or another because I don't have the appropriate material that is called for. It might be fun if your viewers could reply with a picture of their versions of your fly. Perhaps it would be impossible or too much time for you, but I would also enjoy seeing some variations. (Although I also realize that some fly tyers would find this idea absolutely inappropriate! Who would dare mess with another's pattern?!) I really enjoy and appreciate your sharing patterns that aren't as well known and have great potential as well. Cheers and Happy Labor Day! Tom
How did this pattern fish last weekend, Matt?
It looked good in the water and I got a couple takes on it but didn't land anything. But you know what? The parachute hopper I tied a couple videos ago actually floated better than this foam one. Totally surprised me.
Psycho because it’s insanely large ant. I’ll bet it works & really want to hear what results you get this weekend. It looks buggy, has an ant-like narrow waist & wiggly legs. Why not?
A terrestrial season bug? Matt that thing is definitely 'extra-terrestrial". Please let us know how it works on the Savage, it might eat the fish instead of the other way around.
Ha! I had a decent day on the Savage this weekend. But nothing on terrestrials! I fished this and the parachute hopper and both got a few strikes but I couldn't close the deal. They did look pretty good in the water though. :-)
Maybe it will work on a psycho fish. 😂
Haha! I almost made this same joke in my intro. But you might be right Mike. :-)
Ok Matt you've out done yourself with this one. LOL It's a great looking fly that had to come out of the 1960s. I want to see how well it works on my local creeks and ponds. Thanks for tying this one for us. It should be fun to tie and fish.
Ha! I hope so James. I'm looking forward to tossing this under some branches here on the Savage. :-)
I don't see why this won't catch a lot of fish, anything is food to a hungry fish... LOL Now if we can just get you to tie a Mop Fly... 🤣
Hahaha! I've avoided the mop fly for several years now. And if you've noticed, I haven't tied a squirmy worm on here either! Just something about those two that I can't bring myself to tie. :-)
@@SavageFlies In my opinion, the "MOP" material is no worse than vinyl D ribs, closed cell foam, thin skins, mylar piping, flashabou or tungsten beads... Just because it comes from a mop doesn't make it taboo! How many of us raided the Christmas tree decorations for scraps of tinsel and shiny stuff? LOL Oh well, I tried... Long Live the MOP... 🤣
@@randymorris8740 Well, I've tried several mop flies, Randy and have yet to catch a fish on one. However, I've also tried several squirmy worm patterns and haven't caught anything on them, either. Several fish got excited and madly swam around the pink one; but as far as I know, no strikes. Thanks. Tom
Hi, Randy I need to update my earlier reply! Yesterday, on one of my favorite small AZ streams, the water was high and fairly swift from recent rains. The first fly that got any attention was my pink San Juan worms. They are a version of squirmy wormies, just usually a bit smaller. I did catch and release several, but I had difficulty setting the hook in time because the brown trout seemed to spit it out just after contact. I actually had better success with my renegade dry fly after the fish started feeding a little better. What the heck; I had fun and caught and released 15-20. Tom