Semperfli Straggle String

Semperfli Straggle String Micro Chenille

What is Straggle String? Straggle String is a micro chenille, built on a twin core thinner than any comparable product. The fibers are shorter and denser than standard chenille, so one wrap reads as a tidy segment and three wraps read as a full, leggy thorax. Every strand carries UV flecks that catch light the way a natural insect’s gills and legs do.

Why fly tyers switch to it. Natural peacock herl breaks, frays, and soaks up water. Straggle String does none of those things. It survives toothy trout, rocks, and a full season in the box, and it floats, so dry flies and emergers sit right in the film. On nymphs it adds movement without slowing the sink rate.

What to tie with it. Klinkhammer and parachute thoraxes, soft-hackle collars, Czech and Euro nymph bodies, hot-spot collars on jig nymphs, scuds and shrimp, caddis larvae, stillwater buzzers, damsels, micro streamers, and panfish spiders. Wind two colors together for a mottled, two-tone body (Fl. Pink with Dark Pink makes a shrimp that glows).

Natural colors (Black, Golden Olive, Green Olive, Lichen, Pale Olive) match the hatch on Montana freestones and spring creeks. Fluorescent and hot-spot colors (Fl. Green Rhyacophila, Fl. Orange, Fl. Pink, Fl. Red, Fl. Wimbledon Yellow, Dark Pink, Orange Sunburst, Purple, White) are built for triggers on tailwaters, stillwaters, steelhead runs, and the flats.

Every color page on this site includes two tested fly recipes and how to fish them. Pair Straggle String with Semperfli Nano Silk thread and our Ewing hackle for a complete bench.

Category FAQ

What size flies is Straggle String best for? Hooks from size 10 down to 20. It is thin enough for a size 20 midge thorax and still full enough to form the body of a size 10 nymph.

Can I use Straggle String on dry flies? Yes. The synthetic core does not absorb water, so it floats better and longer than peacock herl or natural dubbing.

Is Straggle String a good peacock herl substitute? Yes. It is the material Hans van Klinken uses for the thorax of his Klinkhåmer Special, and it is far more durable than herl.

How much comes on a spool? About 6 m (6.5 yd), enough for dozens of thoraxes or 15 to 25 full bodies depending on hook size.

Can I use it for saltwater flies? Yes, on small patterns. The white, pink, and orange colors make excellent bonefish shrimp, glass-minnow bodies, and small crab legs. Rinse saltwater flies in fresh water after use.