Northwest Fishing Reports

Does anyone know what this fly is? I ran into it on a trip to eastern Washington. It's black and yellow with trailing red #8 hook, weighted or not. I want to order this fly or tie it but nothing comes up on the websites where I've ordered in the past. Any help out there? Also curious about how a San Juan worm is fished, dead drift? Quartering upstream? As a nymph with strike indicator? I've seen this fly but not fished it. Thanks!

Cannot help you with the Mortgage Maker. Funny that the name is the same as a tomato from almost a hundred years ago.

I suspect that it is a local fly that has/was given a local name. You might need to look into getting the fly tied up by the person you saw using it. If you can sketch it and label the colors correctly then your local fly shop could probably get a local tier to copy it.

As for the San Juan Worm, it imitates water worms often found in dense vegetation. When it gets dislodged it dead drifts down stream. That is how you want to fish it, dead drift. How you achieve that dead drift is entirely up to you. Yes, you can fish it quartering upstream with a strike indicator.

Look up images of a Montana nymph, same colors.

Whatever you do, don't buy from dreamdrift flies. That guy burned me.

To help on the fly you speak of I need more info, materials and what it is imitating. The only reason I say not a montana nymph is the trailing red hook. "Mortgage Maker" is a local given name, I also know of a "Mortgage Maker" but it is a black and olive maribou tied streamer on a 1/8oz jig hook, it is deadly. A pic would be a huge help.

AA has it right on the worm, dead drift it under a bobber close to the bottom.