Nymphs

[Wildfisher]

Trout do most of their feeding subsurface, that's pretty much universally accepted. So perhaps we should be fishing for them there more often.

There are quite a few experienced upstream nymph fishers on this forum, so how about posting your favourite patterns, how to tie them, along with a photo or two and a few lines about how you fish them?

I'm certain this would be of great interest to the membership.

Any takers?

[haresear]

I'll do one that does very well for me.

I should be tying them right now, but I've just been reading the great upstream nymphing debate on FFF instead. Feck that place for a carry on... I'm staying here:D

[Traditionalist]

Olive nymph;



Dressing;
Body: Well waxed ( clear beeswax or similar) primrose silk.
Tail: Cock pheasant centre tail fibres.
Rib: Gold wire.
Thorax: Well mixed hare fur, ( ear or body) to give a tannish olive colour.
Hackle: Greenwell ( furnace) hen.

This is basically a spider variation with a thorax of fur and a short hen hackle, it may be used upstream or down to represent various nymphs, caddis, buzzers etc, a tail may be added, as in the photo, if desired, for the nymph pattern, as the hackle fibres themselves are not long enough to imitate the tails. Short Pheasant tail fibres are good for this, or a small short bunch of coarse hen hackle barbs the same colour as the hackle usually, as they imitate the hairy tails on many nymphs very well indeed.

These flies may be used up or downstream and dead drift, as they are fairly good imitations. They do work well fished just below the surface, when they are probably taken for emergers.This particular pattern can be deadly in an olive hatch.

If desired, a couple of turns of lead wire may be added under the thorax, but the nymph should still be kept slim. If you do this, varnish the lead before completing the dressing, as it will otherwise "bleed" and ruin the dressing.

TL
MC