The Wolf: A Saltwater Favourite Through 20 Years

from In the Loop Fly Fishing Magazine - Issue 30

Subsurface: An Underworld Glimpse

Countless saltwater flies have been deemed the key to success when it comes to catching seatrout in the salt. This time, however, the wolf is actually coming. Martin Votborg is the originator behind The Wolf and has been fishing it and tweaking the design for over 20 years. He says, without a shadow of a doubt, that The Wolf catches seatrout all throughout the year.

By PETER LYNGBY

Some flies just have that special something. That little extra lifelike quality. Something tells you that they will catch fish, even if they bear no direct resemblance to a specific prey. The Wolf is one of those flies, originated by Martin Votborg over 20 years ago. You don’t need decades of experience to recognise that The Wolf is a good fly and there’s good reason why it’s still Martin’s favourite after all those years. He can explain this better than anyone.

Twenty years of evolution

Martin Vorborg, who is from the Northern part of Jutland, Denmark, has sold fishing tackle for over 20 years and countless flies have come and gone. The first part of his career he spent with the tackle store Brasholt and nowadays he runs his own company, www.minflue.dk, where he sells flytying materials and flies. Martin is also active on YouTube and other social media with videos and pictures. The Wolf is a frequent item on his invoices. He first tied the fly in the late 1990’s.

- I don’t remember the exact year I first tied the fly, but I came across an old photo of a sea trout, caught on The Wolf. The year on the picture was 1999 and I know I had fished the fly for a few years before catching that fish.

- I haven’t made many changes to the fly over the years. It’s - more or less - the same fly, but I’ve switched to a better hook, and I’ve made a few adjustments to the dubbing that forms the body. With a smile, Martin adds that he’s changed the colour of the tying thread as well, but that he is doubtful that it’s made much of a difference.

Controversial wing

As the name implies, Martin uses wolf hair for the wings. Wolves are currently a hot subject in Denmark, and wolf isn’t readily available in the stores for several reasons. But there are perfectly acceptable substitutes, according to Martin.

- 25 years ago, we had a different and less nuanced attitude towards the origins of fly tying materials. I can’t even remember when I got my first piece of skin from a Canadian wolf. But I do like the structure of Canadian wolf hair. The soft mobile fibres really infuse the fly with life. Wolf hairs have several colour nuances, but the ones I use have cream-coloured tips and are darker closer to the skin. I use the underfur mixed with synthetic dubbing for the body.

- There are perfectly adequate substitutes for wolf. I’ve used coyote, grey fox and raccoon. If the entire fishing club want to use wolf, look for vintage fur coats, which you can often find for little money. Otherwise, craft fur in the colour “Wolf” is a great synthetic alternative.

Seatrout and seabass

From his home in Storvorde, south of Aalborg, Martin is close to both rivers and coastlines. Most of fishing fishing time is spent chasing seatrout. During the summer months, he fishes the local rivers but the rest of the year he’s in the salt. Here, The Wolf is always Martin’s first choice - but it’s not because he’s stubborn, he says.

- I don’t fish seatrout exclusively, nor do I always use The Wolf. I enjoy the odd expedition for salmon, but what I enjoy most is to be able to get out often. Not necessarily for day long trips. Just a few hours to keep up to date sp I can follow the seasonal progression first-hand. In comparison, a week on a salmon river is just like a random point in time.

- When I and a few others began using the fly, we caught many fish. It’s just a good fly and it does well all through the year and in most conditions. Over time, it has become my first choice, but I do use other flies too. At one point, a friend of mine stated that he would no longer use the fly, because it was too easy. I’m not quite there myself yet and there are days when tricky trout will only nip the tail of the fly. On those day I resort to a small gammarus fished as a dropper together with The Wolf. But I will dare to claim that if you don’t succeed with The Wolf, it’s not the fly’s fault. There’s nothing magic about any fly and if The Wolf doesn’t work, change to something else or search out a different location.

- I use The Wolf in all conditions and fish it on both floating, intermediate, and slow sinking lines. I adjust the fishing depth depending on conditions and temperature, but I’ve learned that changing the speed of the retrieve is very effective. I rarely, however, resort to the high-speed roly-poly retrieve, says Martin as he does an imaginary roly-poly.

Tying tips

Tying the fly is straightforward, but Martin has a few important tips to get the fly just the way he prefers it. If you’re not up for it, Martin is a professional fly tier and takes orders.

I have a few customers who just love The Wolf. They have ordered several variants, for instance some with a little pink in them for winter fishing. Personally, I prefer the original and I always tie in a little weight, so the fly dives a little when I stop the retrieve. The most important tip is to keep the fly sparse!

- The body can be tied relatively thick, so you can brush out the dubbing, but keep the hackles to just a few turns and the wings quite thin. Otherwise, you end up with a stiff broom that doesn’t sink and has little mobility in the water. Today I tie them on size 4 and 6 hooks. Size 6 is the standard and the size 4 is for tougher conditions with wind and coloured water where I need a little more silhouette.

The orange head provides an extra dash of colour, but everything but the head I tie with a white thread. Usually, the fly will get chewed-up in which case the white thread won’t be visible through the dubbing.

Material List// Hook: Ahrex NS122, size 4-6. Weight: Lead-free wire. Tying thread: White Back hackle: Golden pheasant, red breast feather. Butt: Angel Hair, Dark Ultraviolet. Tail: Wolf. Center hackle: Golden pheasant, red breast feather. Body: Salmo Supreme Dub, rainbow colour and wolf underfur. Wing: Wolf. Front hackle: Golden pheasant, red breast feather. Head: Fire Orange tying thread.