Overview

The Stubby Chubby is Umpqua's compact take on the Chubby Chernobyl, designed from the ground up as its own pattern, starting with the hook. It is tied on Umpqua's XT050 Stubby hook, which has a short shank, wide gape and forged bend, so a small fly still hooks and holds fish well.

Like its big sibling, it is a foam attractor that can pass for a hopper, stonefly or other large terrestrial, but its smaller size fools fish that shy away from a full-size Chubby. Thin Spanflex legs add movement, a hot butt adds a trigger point, and the foam body means you can drop it in the fastest water, twitch it, slap it down or drag it, and it stays afloat.

How to Fish It

• Hopper-dropper: hang a small bead-head nymph 18 to 24 inches below it.
• Pocket water: slap it into fast pockets and seams; it pops right back up.
• Twitch it: give it a twitch near the bank to make the legs kick.
• Season: summer and early fall, when hoppers, stoneflies and other terrestrials are on the water.

Choosing Color and Size

Cinnamon and Yellow suggest hoppers and golden or yellow stoneflies. Purple is the attractor color; it shows up well against bright water and draws strikes from curious fish.

Go with 12 when you need to float a heavier dropper, 14 as the all-around size, and 16 for smaller bugs and pressured fish.