Worm – Two Aught

a closeup shot of the Worm tarpon fly in pink and tan colorway

how do you build a palolo worm imitation with the right profile, movement, and sink rate that doesn’t get waterlogged or fall apart after one fish? that was my goal when I set out to design the Worm. most modern worm fly patterns are just a visual imitation of a palolo worm from the angler’s perspective without much thought given to how the fly will behave in the water. shaved bunny strips, epoxy coated toothpicks, foam strips, gutted paracord, rubber curly tails? there’s a better way.

inspired by the work of master tyer and author Kenney Abrames the Worm uses a combination of bucktail, flat tied hackle, and a custom dubbing mix to create a simple fly that actually swims like a palolo worm. the Worm can be fished with a steady two hand strip like any other worm fly but because it doesn’t float on the surface or sink like a stone it can also be fished slowly with a single hand strip and pause. the Worm is a versatile and effective tarpon fly fished by guides and tournament anglers throughout the Keys.

tied about 3” long on your choice of #2, #1 or #1/0 Gamakatsu SL12s Short.

$12.00

Shipping calculated at checkout.

Color Pink Bone Orangesicle Original

Hook #2 #1 #1/0

design details

a close up look at the high quality hackle used in the Worm fly

the Worm incorporates beautiful, premium quality hackle tied in flat to slow the sink rate of the fly and provide a perfect palolo worm profile when seen from the fish’s perspective.

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a close up look at the Worm fly’s entry in my tying journal

history of the Worm

the Worm was initially conceived after a frustratingly calm day on the ocean late in the season in 2017. a day of countless shots and an equal number of refusals led my fishing partner to swear off fishing on the ocean altogether. I was inclined to agree but in the back of my mind I wondered if a different fly could have unlocked those pressured fish. our box of worm imitations included the ubiquitous bunny worms and foam worms but the fish that day had seen dozens of the same flies by the time they got to us. they were swimming low and very weary of the impact of fly line and fly on the water.

that same evening I sat down at the vise and pulled out some of my reference books to search for a pattern that would combine profile of a palolo worm with the attributes I thought might improve my chances next time around. I wanted a fly that would land softly on the water. I wanted a fly that would sink slowly and predictably. And I wanted a fly that didn’t need to be fished at the speed of light to swim correctly.

I found what I was looking for in Kenney Abrames’ book Striper Moon. Abrames’ genius is his ability to use a light dressing of carefully chosen materials to suggest the size and profile of prey without bulk. Abrames’ designs were meant for striped bass but I knew that his minimalist style would result in a lightweight fly that could do what I needed it to do so I tied a copy of his small Eelie fly and took it to the canal for a test swim.

my first stabs at converting the Eelie into a palolo worm fly used a tented hackle tail and a chenille body and I was happy with the profile but not the sink rate or the way the fly landed in the water. I tried various body materials but I couldn’t produce a consistently soft-landing, slow-sinking fly until I switched to a dubbed body and added the saddle hackle collar. That fly; tented hackle tail, dubbed body, and saddle hackle collar became the first fly I sold as a commercial tier when I opened TwoAught in 2020. The Worm has evolved several times since in response to my own fishing and feedback from customers but the core attributes have remained the same.

today’s Worm is version 4 and it’s carefully crafted profile and purpose-driven material choices are the result of nearly a decade of on the water testing by both myself and dozens of tarpon guides and tournament anglers across the Keys and beyond.