Mini Chubby Chernobyl 11/08/2021 Photo Album

Several fly tiers that I follow posted images of mini chubbys, and I was intrigued by the idea of a smaller-sized foam fly for instances, where the fish were refusing my larger hopper patterns. I remembered this thought, and toward the end of my 2024 fly tying season, I churned out five mini chubbys with a beige body and light tan foam.

These flies remained forgotten in my fly box until the afternoon of 08/19/2024 on Cascade Creek. I was experiencing a fairly slow day on a creek that was new to me, and for some reason I knotted one of the mini chubbys to my line. Imagine my surprise, when the size twelve chubby with a single wing began to induce aggressive takes from gorgeous stream bred rainbow trout. It was not a fluke, as trout emerged from nearly every prime location to attack the fly.

Model Fly

I visited the same stream a second time toward the end of September, and although the success rate was not as great as the August afternoon, the action was decent and convinced me to tie some mini chubbys during my fall and winter fly tying sessions.

Left Side

The past several days fulfilled my commitment, and I churned out twenty size 12 mini chubby’s for the upcoming season. Nearly all my success occurred on Cascade Creek, so I am quite anxious to determine whether the fly can produce on other western rivers and streams.

If the results replicate 2024 on Cascade Creek, the mini chubby will be a nice addition to my arsenal. It should support a pair of size 14 nymphs, as it contains slightly more surface mass than a hippie stomper. Another favorable factor is tying time. I can crank these flies out faster than I can produce a hippie stomper. I do not view these as a replacement to the hippie stomper, but rather a productive complement.

Twenty Complete

When I researched tying instructions, I noticed that some patterns utilized two sets of legs, and some limited leg attachment to the front next to the wing. I opted for the single set of legs. Fifteen of the mini chubbys were made with light tan dubbing, and I applied light gray dubbing to the other five.

I am very excited to continue the mini chubby experiment in 2025.