The Fuzzel Sowbug
For a few years I’d been pondering the way to imitate a lot of the sowbugs I’d been finding in the White River system. These weren’t solid dark or light colors, instead they had a distinctly dark “spine” and pale gray edges. There are a lot of good Sowbug patterns around, Davy Wotton’s Sowbug Series, John Wilson’s Trout Crack, Mike McLellan’s Woven V-Rib Sowbug, all are great.
But like most fly tiers I tinker, but really struggled to get what I was after. Then I spotted an article in Flylife magazine about Murray “Muz” Wilson’s Fuzzling Technique, and subsequently found a video where Muz ties a Fuzzel Bugger with another mate Peter Morse. Click Here to see the inspiration.
The Fuzzel Sow seemed a natural. It took my a bunch of playing with the technique to get it right, trimming the teased dubbing to show the shell back and leave a halo of fibres each side. Choosing right dubbing is fairly tricky. Sowscud is decent, but I tied a bunch with Whitlock’s SLF, then as you will see on the video, mixing prism dub and Whitlock’s SLF.
This technique is applicable in a whole range of flies, you probably are getting ideas now.
Hook: Nymph Hook 14 to 18.
Thread: UTC Dark Grey 140
Underbody: Flattened .010 lead wire.
Body: Micro Stretch Tubing.
Dubbing: Whitlock’s SLF Blend Sowbug Grey and Prism Dub Tan.
Unbelievable fly. I have been almost unable to sleep since first watching this video four days ago. Since then, I have tied sowbugs, scuds, soft hackles, buggers, and midge pupa using the ‘fuzzling’ technique. These flies have a buggy translucence like nothing I have ever seen.
A caddis pupa with clear tubing, an abdomen fuzzled with Caddis Green Ice Dub, and a thorax dubbed with dark gray or hare’s ear Swisher’s Gen-X dubbing practically crawls out of the vise. A Red Ass with two turns of bare flourescent red d-rib and then three turns fuzzled with Peacock Ice Dub looks like a killer.
The key points so far are that they look BETTER wet and are about a 3-4 minute tie so they are practical. Hope the fish like them as much as I do. THANKS FOR SHARING.
Thanks Bill glad you like it so much. And as you have discovered it is a technique which can be applied to all manner of flies.
Caddis definately come to mind, but I hadn’t thought of a Red Ass.
You should send me some pics.
And its not my genius, Blame Muz Wilson.
Hello Steve – I’d be happy to send pics if I could but I’m not much with the camera or the technology. If you will email me your mailing address at I’ll mail you some flies. Thanks!