How the world’s worst toy created the most lifelike streamers ever.
THE TRICKY WORM is such a lame toy that my 2-year-old isn’t mildly excited when I hand her one. It’s nothing but a 7-inch piece of soft fluorescent chenille tapered at each end to resemble a chubby, snakelike creature, complete with googly eyes. What you’re supposed to do is work the piece of monofilament tied to its nose like a puppet string, making the Tricky Worm magically slither between your fingers and twirl around pencils. I could never make one do any of that. If, however, you decapitate a Tricky Worm and lash its lifeless body to a hook, its real magic is unlocked. So potent is a streamer with a Tricky Worm tail, I might go as far as calling it the Senko of flyfishing. And I’m certainly not the only one who believes this glorified cat toy may revolutionize the stripping game. It has been somewhat of a guarded secret for years, but you won’t have to track down Tricky Worms in dollar stores much longer. They’ll be crawling into a fly shop near you.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
This story is from the February - March 2018 edition of Field & Stream.
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This story is from the February - March 2018 edition of Field & Stream.
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