I've long had an affinity for bass worm patterns. Watching gear anglers toss Senkos into mats of vegetation and tangles of wood, heaving out bragging sized largemouth gets my blood pumping. Why not do the same with a fly? I've tied a lot of different variations of bass worm patterns over the years, some with Cactus Chenille, some with Polar Chenille, some with long sleek saddle hackles that undulate seductively through the weed patches. They all work reasonably well and I have high confidence in them as flies for bass.
Then along came the Predator 9 Worm material from FNF Fly Fishing out of the UK. This stuff is simply dreamy. Soft and supple rubbery material woven into the core, wicked "bassy" colors and somewhat of a neutral buoyancy so it hovers in the zone a bit longer. I still mix it up a bit in the bass worm department but the Predator 9 has largely supplanted everything else as my body material of choice. Play around with the many different colors available. The possibilities are endless and Mr. Bass has a big appetite.
P9 From Outer Space Recipe:
Hook: #2 Gamakatsu B10S
Thread: Black 140 Denier Ultra Thread
Weed Guard: #20 Rio Hard Alloy or similar
Tail/Body: FNF Predator 9 Brandling Worm
Collar: Composite loop of Bloody Black Leech STS Trilobal, Purple UV Predator Wrap, Black Senyo's Shaggy Dub
Confluence Beer Pairing: One of our dear favorites in the hot hot weather is an icy cold can of Tecate. Throw in a dash of salt and lime and you got yourself a real thirst quencher on those sweltering days chucking big worm flies into the pads.