The Glow Bug (Egg Fly) Canunundrum

I have a confession that I just need to make. I fish with eggs and I'm ok about it.

Here's how it happened and why it's working out for me:

Many years ago a fellow angler who was having great success sheepishly admitted to me that he was using 2 of the exact same fly in his nymphing rig. It was understood between us that for whatever reason, that just wasn't right; just seemed like cheating. The same feeling used to arise every time I looked in the fly box and considered tapping into the 2 rows of neon egg flies (called "Glow Bugs" to make them seem more "insecty" and by association more acceptable).

Glow bugs just seemed like cheating, you know, like bait fishing. They don't ride confidently and daintily on the water's surface, closely mimicking the diva of all insects, the mayfly. They don't have the detailed imitative qualities of a good nymph, they don't move suggestively like a good streamer. They just look like fish eggs.

All of that said, I'm ready to admit it, I have no more glow bug guilt. Impressive rationalization skills, coupled with years of persuasion by other egg-broken anglers and hard fighting rainbows, have all brought me to this happy place. I forgive myself. I've gone glow. Now you can judge me however you deem fit but next time I'm out on a fall, winter, or early spring day I'm probably going to go ahead and tie on a big bright beautiful egg pattern!

Are you ready to shed the layers of dry fly pretension and pomp? I call for you to join me in tying on a Glow Bug. You'll catch fish and catching fish feels good!