Polly's Fuzzy Nymphs
Successful trout fishing isn't a matter of brute force or even persistence, but something more like infiltration" - John Gierach
Polly Rosborough was a great inventive fly tier from over 60 years ago. He basically invented the "fuzzy nymph", that concoction that seemed loosely tied but gave the impression of "life" due to the natural flowing materials used in it's construction. Tightly wrapped bodies on his nymphs were not to be found. Light reflecting natural fibers applied with dubbing loops were. They worked. In the last years of his life he tied mostly for collectors and his flies were always in demand.
His BEAVER NYMPH and his CASUAL DRESS applied beaver in it's construction but any buggy (I like Australian Possum) fur will do. I apply very thin copper wire although Polly didn't. It never meant that I was creating a "variant" of his fly but just putting my personal preference to it. It's still Polly's fly!
One material that is in these two flies is a thorax of ostrich herl. This is now becoming a forgotten material but it REALLY works on the two flies mentioned here.
The Casual Dress
Size 12 nymph hook
Use wire weight if you want but Polly never used weight. It works well with a micro shot
Australian Possum on a dubbing loop or just loosely dubbed on the hook
The finest copper wire available if you want it. Use a dubbing brush to work out the fibers after you wrap the wire on.
Use a long strand of ostrich herl to wrap over the thorax area and you are done.
No need to coat this fly in plastic. You will absolutely kill it as you will with all dubbed bodies. Let those fibers breathe and you will do well!!!!!
Polly Rosborough was a great inventive fly tier from over 60 years ago. He basically invented the "fuzzy nymph", that concoction that seemed loosely tied but gave the impression of "life" due to the natural flowing materials used in it's construction. Tightly wrapped bodies on his nymphs were not to be found. Light reflecting natural fibers applied with dubbing loops were. They worked. In the last years of his life he tied mostly for collectors and his flies were always in demand.
His BEAVER NYMPH and his CASUAL DRESS applied beaver in it's construction but any buggy (I like Australian Possum) fur will do. I apply very thin copper wire although Polly didn't. It never meant that I was creating a "variant" of his fly but just putting my personal preference to it. It's still Polly's fly!
One material that is in these two flies is a thorax of ostrich herl. This is now becoming a forgotten material but it REALLY works on the two flies mentioned here.
The Casual Dress
Size 12 nymph hook
Use wire weight if you want but Polly never used weight. It works well with a micro shot
Australian Possum on a dubbing loop or just loosely dubbed on the hook
The finest copper wire available if you want it. Use a dubbing brush to work out the fibers after you wrap the wire on.
Use a long strand of ostrich herl to wrap over the thorax area and you are done.
No need to coat this fly in plastic. You will absolutely kill it as you will with all dubbed bodies. Let those fibers breathe and you will do well!!!!!
It still feels like Winter. Just a few more weeks.....
Ken
Ken
6 comments:
These fur nymphs are very useful as droppers especially when tied on with a loop knot. Like them on a drop shot rig.
Good post Ken I have never tied a Polly nymph but have taken a page from his book I typically tie my nymphs with natural dubbing of one sort of the other other and to make them extra bushy I usually apply dubbing to my thread in the normal fashion then over that I loosely pinch on a small tuft of dubbing then wrap my fly, the result is a loose layer of dubbing that can be brushed and cut to your liking. Works very well for me and I often imagine this may look like a nymph that's half broken out of it's shuck and trapped or possibly a nymph in between instars who knows but t hi ise fibers definitely move and the trout key in
Ken when do you remember so much ice on the rivers,this late in the winter? I guess we are paying for the mild December,which was wonderful! Cheers,Chet
Chet,
I was just thinking about that. It has been one of the coldest Februarys I can remember.
Ken
Ken,
As Chet pointed out above, what a wonderful December it was for fishing. January and February have been mighty cold resulting in the least amount of winter fishing for me in a long time. I have gotten out a few times, but haven't had a hit since early January. I appreciate your site, Ken, along with the fly suggestions. You help me get through winter.
Regards, Sam
Thank you Sam!!
Ken
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