All Purpose Nymph
"If fishing is like religion, then fly fishing is high church" Tom Brokaw
Sometimes the simplest things work the best. Back in the early 1970's a writer by the name of S.R. Slaymaker (he wrote for the hook and bullet press about fly fishing) wrote about a simple generic nymph that was breathtakingly simple to tie and a virtual trout magnet when fished right. The fly had no name and still doesn't as far as I know although it looks like one of Sawyers nymphs. Slaymaker used mink for the body. I once had some raw mink but it's long gone so I use Australian possum or hare mask. (Hmm...maybe that's how I got the idea of the Possum Nymph)
Hook - Nymph or standard dry fly hook sizes 12-14
Weight - your choice wrapped around the hook shank (resist the temptation to stick a bead on it.( This is fly tying, not lure making) or fish it with a micro shot
Tail - A few partridge fibers or a tuft of fur
Rib - ultra fine copper wire
Body - Australian possum or hare's mask dubbed loosely and then secured down with wire. Use that little carding tool that we all have but never use to pick out the dubbing.
Above is my life time supply of Australian possum dyed olive or yellow. It has that kinky texture that works great underwater. I would guess that good old American possum would work just as well. Over the years I've taken to touching up the color to suit my taste (actually the trouts taste) with Sharpies. I've tied up some nymphs with yellow fur and then hit them with a black Sharpie. Just enough yellow shows through for a nice effect.
Sometimes the simplest things work the best. Back in the early 1970's a writer by the name of S.R. Slaymaker (he wrote for the hook and bullet press about fly fishing) wrote about a simple generic nymph that was breathtakingly simple to tie and a virtual trout magnet when fished right. The fly had no name and still doesn't as far as I know although it looks like one of Sawyers nymphs. Slaymaker used mink for the body. I once had some raw mink but it's long gone so I use Australian possum or hare mask. (Hmm...maybe that's how I got the idea of the Possum Nymph)
Hook - Nymph or standard dry fly hook sizes 12-14
Weight - your choice wrapped around the hook shank (resist the temptation to stick a bead on it.( This is fly tying, not lure making) or fish it with a micro shot
Tail - A few partridge fibers or a tuft of fur
Rib - ultra fine copper wire
Body - Australian possum or hare's mask dubbed loosely and then secured down with wire. Use that little carding tool that we all have but never use to pick out the dubbing.
Above is my life time supply of Australian possum dyed olive or yellow. It has that kinky texture that works great underwater. I would guess that good old American possum would work just as well. Over the years I've taken to touching up the color to suit my taste (actually the trouts taste) with Sharpies. I've tied up some nymphs with yellow fur and then hit them with a black Sharpie. Just enough yellow shows through for a nice effect.
Spring
As of this writing daylight savings time is 23 days away and SPRING is 29 days away. March can clobber us with massive storms but 3 days later the snow can be mostly gone. That snow melt will end up in the rivers where it increases the flow AND chills the water. Your most important tool will be that case of micro shot that will keep your fly down and allow a lot of action to your offering as you high stick yourself into piscatorial bliss!!
Avoid all mono rigs. It's not considered flyfishing in some quarters.
Ken
12 comments:
I really don't see the difference between using shot vs a bead to get a nymph down to a fish. Also, if I use a 10' leader (attached to fly line) outside the rod tip to present a nymph is that fly fishing as compared to 10' of mono from a 24' leader outside the rod tip? Trying to understand your philosophy and not the regulations.
Sorry, I needed to poke the bear!
Ken, that's a sweet little simple fly. Love it! The sharpie trick is slick, great way to make "wing cases" or a "top and bottom" on a fly... I may use a bead though on some. I like those pretty little things :)
Hibernation (Will),
GENERIC is the word for that fly. When you catch a trout with it you have REALLY fooled a trout!!
Anonymous,
The BEAR speaks - a well known and heavily fished steelhead/salmon river in western NY has a section where 15 ft leaders ARE NOT ALLOWED. Many rivers with fly fishing only regulations say the you must use conventional flyfishing equipment (fly reel, fly rod, and conventional fly line) or don't fish. I think this is an attempt (a good one) to ward off spin fishers who use a weighted nymph under a bobber (I've seen this). Maybe you don't agree but that's the law in many places.
Beads VS Shot - an unweighted fly 10 or so inches below a micro shot will keep the fly above the bottom weed beds such as on the Swift while beads just get too low in the water column and you spend too much time cleaning off your fly. That is why some Euro nymphers consider that the Swift is hell for that technique.
When I was a little kid, my friend and I would save up to buy casting bubbles for our spinning rods from SPAG's. It either worked like a bobber, or you could open the side and let water in and it would sink a foot, let more in and it would sink 5 ft, etc. Then we had a leader and then a Mickey Finn pr a Grey/Black Ghost streamer at the end. We caught a ton of trout on Walden and Whites pond. It was a lot of fun, and to me at the time, Fly Fishing! That said, it shouldn't count in FF only regs :) But, it always was a huge adventure to have our parents take us to the fishing department at SPAG's, long gone now.
Ken,
I love the olive and so do fish. There's a certain pond on the south shore where my head head hares ear size 14, 16 is my go to fly. Someday the fish find it only mildly interesting, other days I catch and release more than my share.
Dwight,
The Hares Ear is a classic fly that's imitated by many somewhat different patterns. One could fish all year long with that fly and not be under gunned.
Falsecast,
I bought my first quality fly rod at Spags which was a 7ft, 5wt Fenwick. I still have it.
You weren't fly fishing with that set up but you were on the road to fly fishing!!!
Ken
Shot also works really well to manage drift....if you keep correcting the piece of shot your fly should move drag free consistently throughout your drift
I like your take on a simple nymph, Ken. The same pattern tied in a darker brown works well up here in Aroostook County all season long. I've tied it with a bead and without, and I prefer fishing it under a small split shot far more than I enjoy fishing the bead head version. To give another answer to Anonymous at the top of the page, and this isn't a criticism, just an observation; fishing a mono rig, without a traditional fly line to propel it forward, will get you a summons on many waters up here.
Gents
Can’t get out to the Swift this time of year? At least you can visit the area from your living room.
This Mondays edition of Chronicle will be about the Quabbin.
The videographer is an old fly fishing pal and he says he shot footage of the Swift but can’t guarantee it made it into the final cut.
Enjoy and stay warm,
Ham on Fly
HamOnfly,
Good to hear from you again. I'll try to watch Chronicle but I don't get it out here in W. Ma. Maybe they'll send it to me.
Ken
Just received the latest issue of American Fly Fishing -- congratulations on the cover story!
Yellowstone Bound,
Thank you!!
Ken
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