Vincent Wilcox's Story Behind the Lint Bug:

I was facetiously bragging to a friend that I could tie a fly using just about any material; my friend challenged me, and offered up his pocket lint. I sat down at the vise and tied three or four of these patterns to try out the next day, not anticipating much luck. When we fished these new creations on the Big Thompson, we hammered fish all day long. All I could do was laugh! The fly continued to prove itself year-round wherever we went. The dubbing material has changed since its inception but the results are the same, and this pattern has become a go-to fly for many Front Range guides and anglers. The best time to fish a Lint Bug in sizes 18 to 20 is when midges are prevalent and there are few other hatches going on from the end of August until the the next spring's runoff.