The stalking bug seems to have been developed in recent years from Trevor Housby's Dog Nobbler which was first introduced to the UK around 1980.
The Dog Nobbler itself was based on various weighted marabou jig lures which have been used in the US since the 1960's.

A combination of the Stalking Bug's pulsating marabou tail, weighted body and also the fact that the design means that the fly sinks very quickly indeed, have made this a very popular choice for clear water big fish stalkers.
Another advantage of the design is that they're virtually indestructible.

I myself have had success with these, either cast in front of cruising fish at distance, allowed to sink just below the estimated depth of the trout then retrieved in short, sharp jerks or simply plonked just in front of the nose of fish closer in, then lifted to attempt an induced take.

If you're off to Avington, Chalk Springs, Dever Springs or anywhere similar, you'd be foolish to leave home without one!











Cat's Whisker Stalking Bug

Hook:
Size 10 Kamasan B170
Silk:
Any, followed by fluorescent lime green to finish
Tail:
Generous bunch of white marabou with optional strands of flashabou
Underbody:
Front 1/2 - fine lead wire.
Rear portion - tail fibres lashed-down & tapered neatly with tying thread
Body:
Flouro Chartreuse UTC Brassie wire
Head:
3.30mm Black Beads with clear varnish over & white varnish "eyes" to finish
Head & Body cover:
3+ coats of Hard as Nails or any other clear varnish

-Thread the bead onto the bare hook through the point & onto the shank, then put the hook in the vice.


-Wrap 10-12 turns of fine lead wire onto the shank well behind the bead, then use your fingernail to squeeze & push the lead at each end, so that the ends squash neatly back into the last actual turns.
-Now use your fingernail to slide the turns into the recess of the bead, also pushing the bead taught against the eye of the hook.


-Now wind on any kind of thread just behind the lead to use to firstly neaten the step down from the lead to bare shank & also to cover the lead to create a smoothly-shaped underbody. When done, return the silk to the start of the bend, just above where the barb is.


-Select a generous bunch of marabou fibres & trim off the stubs so they're all precisely even. Tie the tail in & go up & down the shank to again help create a neat underbody. If using, now tie 2 or more flashabou fibres in on each side of the marabou.


-Whip finish with 2 or 3 turns then change silk. I used Glowbrite no.12 fluorescent floss.
-Now tie the UTC wire in at the bend. You will need a surprising amount of this - about 12 inches to be safe! Take the thread back up to the bead in neat touching turns.


-Wind the foot-long piece of wire up the body in very neat, touching turns.
Tie this off with 2 turns of thread, keeping the wraps as close to the bead as possible, then wobble the wire off in either a back & forth or circular motion.
-Make a small, neat 2-turn whip finish & cut the thread off as close as possible.


-Apply several coats of Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails (or similar varnish) allowing at least 4 hours between coats. 3 or 4 applications should be about right.


-Finally once the last layer of clear varnish has had 4+ hours to dry, add a dab of white varnish either side of the head to create the eyes. I just used Veniards White Cellire with a dubbing needle.


Tight lines!

Nice bit of weight in those steve......i do like getting them down quick when stalking the cruisers along the bank,well when i cant coax them up that is.Whats your fav colour for them?...nice work by the way.

Thanks.
I took a 7lb brown from Chalk Springs last week on the Cat's Whisker Stalking Bug, but over all the most productive one for me has been the first one in the pics above; the black & red one.

Nice SBS might try a few of these s i have never tied any defore

Andy