Back in 1997, after a few previous trips to Yellowstone, we ventured to the east side of the park and Cody, Wyoming. There we fished the North Fork of the Shoshone River and it was love at first cast! What it lacks in big fish, it makes up for numbers and variety - and a penchant for the trout to rise to dries.
At the local fly shop, we were told there were bigger trout in the tailwater below Buffalo Bill Dam. What we needed to get those 20-inch browns to eat was a size 4 Yuk Bugger. The Yuk Bugger is a bushier version of a Woolybugger, with crystal flash body and rubber legs. We bought a few and sure enough, when one of those browns hit it was bone-jarring!
In 1999, I was about to tie some of these up for a trip when the thought occured, "Why not give it the SR71 treatment?". The SR71 Woolybugger was my variation on Russ Blessing's classic. Instead of saddle hackle, I use a schlappen feather. The SR71B gets it's name because of the fly's swept-back look, much like the famous spy jet of the Cold War era. I decided to renovate the YukB in the same design. I called the revision the Y2K Bugger. At the time, I was working on a project to make our systems Y2K compliant and up to ISO 9000 code. I figured this fly should meet those standards as well, lol.
The Y2K Bugger has been good for trout, but over the last 15 years it's been a major bass fly. It may imitate small lizards or crawfish. One thing is certain - it has lots of motion!
Prior to last year, I had used it for smallmouth a few times and did okay. Then last year on a trip to Maine, I broke it out while fishing with Kevin McKay on the Penobscot River. On a heavy overcast day when poppers were ignored, the Y2K Bugger shined in landing a couple dozen nice bronzebacks. Then in May, while fishing with Galen Westman on the South Fork of the Shenandoah in Virginia, the Y2K came through again that morning (later the smallies would go nuts on poppers but that was afternoon).
So now the Y2KB has become my favorite submergent fly for bass, whether their mouths are large or small. There are times when other patterns work better, but I always start off with the Y2KB on one rod and a popper on another.
Now to the part you readers have been waiting for - the recipe!
Thread: Danville 210 denier flat-waxed, black or burnt orange
Hook: size 4 Mustad 3366 or Gamakatsu B10S
Tail: marabou, olive or rust
Body: Krystal Flash Medium chenille, olive or bonefish tan
Legs: Sili-Legs barred, either yellow/gold-black or olive/green flake (for olive), or orange/orange black (for rust)
Eyes: Brass eyes medium black (Hareline code BEM11) or equivalent
Collar: Schlappen, olive or brown
Instructions:
Tie on the eyes close to the front of the hook. Tie in the marabou at the back end to just over the barb. Tail should be as long as the hook. Tie in the chenille, then palmer forward. One-third of the way up, stop and tie in 1 or 2 strands of Sili-Legs on each side. Tie them forward, then pull them back and tie backward. Continue wrapping chenille past the legs. Two-thirds of the way up, stop and tie in 1 strand of legs on each side. Again, using the tie forward / pull back / tie over. Continue with chenille to just behind the eyes - but do NOT crowd! If possible, leave a tiny gap. Before tying in the schlappen feather, first cut off the tip and the "webby" end. Tie the feather at the truncated tip and wrap 3 times, then tie off with the thread. Pull the feather tips backward and build up the thread behind the eye. Coat the threads and eye with UV epoxy or other hard durable coat.
For you fellow pond gurus, this fly is a killer on pond bass when surface action is slow. Give it a try and tell us (on Facebook) what you think!
