Learn how to tie the FNF Chewing Gum Worm with this great video tutorial.
When it comes to Stillwater fishing, there are a number of flies which (on their day of course) can do serious damage, enter the Chewing Gum Worms… Originally designed back in 2016 – 3mm Chewing Gum Fritz was one of the first products in the range from the guys at FNF – and immediately it took the Stillwater scene by storm. Stocked trout, as well as resident fish, simply found it irresistible when fished under a bung – rivalling the deadly Squirmy worm.
2017-18 saw the Chewing Gum range increase, with the addition of two larger sizes, the Jumbo (6mm) and Predator (9mm) which made tying larger worm patterns for other species as well as trout much easier and quicker. The 6mm (alongside the 3mm) quickly became a favourite with top Smallwater anglers giving them the ability to creating much more mobile worm patterns to suit varying conditions with ease.
The Chewing Gum material is pretty unique when it comes to fritz. It has a soft rubber fibre mixed with a very soft synthetic such as Antron. Combining the two, along with a durable micro-core this material became extremely limp and buoyant when wet, giving it the alluring movement that trout find so overwhelming. The addition of a tungsten bead is almost essential to ensure the worms drop through the water column due to its slight buoyancy.
How to fish the Chewing Gum Worm
There are two deadly ways to fish a chewing gum worm; under an indicator or as a single fly on a floating or sinking line.
In flat calm conditions, we find the best way to fish one of these worms is on a 10-15ft leader, simply cast out, let the fly sink to the desired depth and slowly figure of eight back, as if you were fishing a team of buzzers. When fished slowly, the limpness in the material gives this fly a lifelike appearance, as if it were crawling or wriggling through the water. If the fish are in a chasing mood, it’s also worth fishing these flies quickly on a sinking line.
If there is a slight wind with a ripple on the surface, the chewing gum worms can be deadly fished under a bung especially in the winter months (Check out these top 5 tips for fishing the bung). Once you’ve found the feeding depth of the fish, set your worm at the desired depth below an indicator. Cast out, and let the fly sink. The ‘legs’ of the worm will tend to stand and wave as it’s falling through the water, and once fully sunk, the slight ripple on the water will lift the bung every so slightly, forcing the legs to gently lift and fall due to the buoyancy of the material. In a flat calm, the legs may just become limp with no movement at all unless inflicted by a short pull on the line or twitch of the rod tip.
Another advantage of the Chewing Gum Worms is that it has not been produced through an extruded process making it legal for certain competitions, where the likes of the squirmy worm may well be banned.
For 2020, we have introduced a number of Chewing Gum Worms tied with the 6mm Jumbo Chewing Gum fritz to our already excellent trout fly range, giving you a choice of 5 colours, including 2 deadly two-tone worms! Check them out here.
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