Fly tying: Whistle Pig Jig

I love flies that can be fished using multiple methods, and Tim Flagler's Whistle Pig Jig sure fits that bill. It's also a fairly quick tie, because it really only uses three materials—a bead, some thing brass wire and groundhog fur. As Tim notes, the venerable groundhog is also known as a whistle pig in some parts of the country, this pattern uses both the longer guard hairs and softer fur that lies beneath.

The fly could very easily be fished as an attractor nymph, and only as a nymph, but I got pretty excited when I watched Tim tie in the collar, which is made from the soft under fur of the groundhog—when stripped slowly through the water, this collar likely adds some motion, not unlike the forward legs of a damselfly larvae. I might even try this fly on the swing in some of the more biologically productive rivers in my area, like the Henry's Fork or even the Firehole in Yellowstone National Park.

No matter how you choose to fish it, this fly looks like a winner. See what you think.

— Chris Hunt