Hair Leg Woolly Worm
Yes, Virginia, there really is a Woolly-Worm-looking insect. Several in fact. They are all larva of various aquatic insects, including The Hellgrammite, fishfly larvae, various beetle larvae, alderfly larvae, and the larvae of the aquatic moths. All of them have many lateral appendages that are nicely simulated by the palmered hackle of the Woolly Worm fly. I designed an imitation using hair legs rather than a palmered hackle that also works A-OK for large stonefly nymphs and dragonfly nymphs as well. I’ve even fished it on a jigging swing or other bottom tactic as a sculpin or stickleback imitation. It has proven to be as good fly in many situations. The artwork below is by Jason Borger, and is taken from my book, Designing Trout Flies (1991).
Tie the Hair Leg Woolly Worm on 3X to 5X long hooks. Tie in a tail of hair and a piece of wire for the rib.
Build the body of coarse dubbing spun in a loop and trimmed to shape. Counterwind the rib to reenforce the body.
The collar is coarse dubbing spun in a loop and left untrimmed.