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GOLDHEADS
ОглавлениеGoldheads are gold-plated brass beads with a hole through them so that they can be slipped over the point of the hook and pushed up against the eye. A goldhead should be held in place by several turns of thread soaked with Superglue, otherwise the bead may be forced backwards by the inertial forces during casting.
Goldheads achieved prominence in the 1980s, being promoted around the world by Dutchman Theo Bakelaar. Within a decade many flies were being tied goldhead style, as well as tungstenhead and silverhead style. The beads weighted the flies and, in the gold and silver versions (now also in colours like shocking pink!), added ‘flash’ that was said to simulate air bubbles associated with hatching nymphs. However it is clear that Goldheads are much older. The Samurai fished with Goldheads in Japan as early as 1650, their gold bead being real gold. More recently, three Goldhead flies were discovered in a box in an English stately home in 1996 that date from the end of the nineteenth century (note that the hooks are tied to gut). These flies come from an era when goldheads are absent from flytying literature. These mysterious three flies are tied as follows:
FLY 1
Tail: Golden pheasant crest.
Body: In five sections: peacock herl-red floss-peacock herl-red floss-peacock herl.
Hackle: Natural light red henny-cock.
Wing: 3 strands green peacock herl (there is no sign of any other wing material).
Head: Goldhead.
This fly is particularly fascinating because of its body, red floss and peacock herl. It recalls the ROYAL COACHMAN (see here) that was invented by American John Haily and has a body of red floss with peacock herl at front and rear. The hackle is also the same, but the rest of the fly is completely different.
FLY 2
Body: Gold bead at tip; rear fifth green peacock herl, rest orange wool.
Hackles: Dirty cream-white and ginger henny-cock, wound together.
Wing: Two cock hackles and two hen hackles, all dirty cream-white.
Head: Goldhead.
FLY 3
Body: Gold bead at tip; middle crimson; front black fine dubbing.
Hackles: Rear green; middle crimson; front black.
Wing: A natural red cock hackle tied on either side.
Head: Goldhead.
The HARE’S EAR GOLDHEAD is a typical modern goldhead dressing and may be taken by trout as freshwater shrimps (scuds) or Gammarus, caddis pupae and caddis larvae (uncased).
HARE’S EAR GOLDHEAD
Hook: Wet fly, sizes 10–12.
Thread: Brown.
Body: Hare’s ear, dubbed a bit straggly.
Rib: Fine oval gold tinsel.
Head: Goldhead.
Many of the following nymph patterns can be modified by fixing a goldhead, silverhead or tungsten bead on the hook just behind the eye.
BARE HOOK NYMPH
Hook: Wet fly, sizes 14–16.
Thread: Red copper wire.
Body: A ball of wound copper wire behind the hook eye to simulate a thorax.
There is no simpler fly! Invented by Oliver Kite in the early 1960s, this is surprisingly effective. In one TV programme, Kite was seen to catch grayling with this fly while wearing a brown paper bag over his head! The problem is that the vast majority of fly-fishers either have no faith in such a simple tying, or they want more complex flies in their boxes.
PHEASANT TAIL-LESS PHEASANT TAIL NYMPH
Hook: Wet fly, sizes 14–16.
Thread: Red copper wire.
Body: Two layers of wire between eye and end of hook shank, with a built-up thorax just behind the eye.
Produced by Field & Stream’s Ed Zern, who noticed that a PHEASANT TAIL NYMPH (below) that had had all the pheasant tail dressing removed by the teeth of several trout still caught fish.
The following tyings will catch trout that are feeding on many small nymphs and also on midge pupae (or ‘buzzers’, see here) in lakes. A fly devised by Malcolm Greenhalgh in Britain; the same idea was independently developed in the United States (see TWO-WIRE BRASSIE, below).
TWO-WIRE NYMPH
Hook: Wet fly, sizes 14–16.
Thread: Fine red copper wire.
Abdomen: Tying thread.
Rib: Dark brown copper wire.
Thorax: Built-up tying thread under thorax, with dubbed hare’s ear over.
BRASSIE
Hook: Wet fly, 12–18.
Thread: Black.
Abdomen: Red copper wire.
Thorax: Black dubbing (use a fine fur).
Devised by Ken Chandler and Tug Davenport on Colorado’s South Platte River in the 1960s, the original Brassie had a short piece of black heat-shrink plastic tube for the thorax and the copper wire was also tying ‘thread’. Rick Murphy, also of the South Platte River, also came up with the idea of using two colours of wire to give a segmented body in his Two-WIRE BRASSIE.
TWO-WIRE BRASSIE
Hook: Wet fly, sizes 14–24.
Thread: Black.
Abdomen: Two wire colours to give segmentation.
Wing: Sparse, white synthetic (e.g. Saap, Z-lon, Antron).
Thorax: Peacock herl.
Head: Goldhead or silverhead (optional; not in original).
Ed Engle, who described the Two-Wire Brassie in his book Tying Small Flies (2004), also described John Barr’s COPPER JOHN, a fly that leads on to the most famous of all nymphs. This has caught many trout, thousands of miles from its Colorado home.
COPPER JOHN
Hook: Wet fly, sizes 14–20.
Thread: Black.
Tail: 3–4 cock pheasant tail fibres.
Abdomen: Copper wire.
Wing case: Pearl Mylar or Flashabou or Crystal Hair.
Thorax: Peacock herl.
Legs: Brown speckled partridge, drake mallard breast dyed light brown, wood-duck (optional).
Head: Goldhead or silverhead.
The PHEASANT TAIL NYMPH is probably the most famous of all the world’s artificial nymphs. The original tying is by Frank Sawyer (1906–80), river keeper and author of Nymphs and the Trout (1958). Though originally an imitation of swimming Baetis nymphs in rivers, it will deceive trout that are eating any small nymph.
PHEASANT TAIL NYMPH
Hook: Wet fly, sizes 12–18.
Thread: Copper wire (red or orange are most effective).
Underbody: Two layers of tying wire then a small ball built up under the thorax.
Tails: Tips of cock pheasant centre tail feathers.
Abdomen: Herls used to form tails, wound with the wire thread about 60 per cent up hook shank.
Thorax: As abdomen.
Wing cases: Dark parts of herls used to form tail and body, taken back and forth (two layers) over back of thorax and held in place with the trying wire.
GREY GOOSE NYMPH
This is as Sawyer’s PHEASANT TAIL NYMPH except that grey goose herls are used. Sawyer devised this on a visit to Lapland, where he found trout feeding on summer mayfly (Siphlonurus) nymphs.
There are several other versions of the PHEASANT TAIL NYMPH; the best are given below.
PHEASANT TAIL NYMPH (AL TROTH)
Hook: Wet fly, sizes 10–18.
Thread: Tan.
Tails: Tips of 3–5 cock pheasant tail fibres.
Abdomen: Wound fibres used for tails.
Rib: Fine copper wire.
Thorax: Under a ball of copper wire, with peacock herl over.
Wing cases: Dark parts of cock pheasant tail fibres.
Legs: Tips of cock pheasant tail fibres used to create wing cases.
ORANGE SPOT PHEASANT TAIL NYMPH
This is a similar tying, but has a thorax of fluorescent orange wool or fur and lacks legs. All fish seem very susceptible to orange, especially in dull light conditions, and this works in dirty water and late in the evening.
PHEASANT TAIL NYMPH (CHRIS HOSKER)
Hook: Wet fly, sizes 14–16.
Thread: Brown.
Tails: Tips of 4–6 cock pheasant tail fibres.
Abdomen: Cock pheasant tail.
Rib: Fine gold wire.
Thorax: Pink synthetic fur with some sparkle (e.g. Ice Dub).
Head: Gold head.
Chris uses this in cold water or in winter, when fish tend to be dour.
PHEASANT TAIL NYMPH (RANDALL KAUFMANN)
Hook: Wet fly or straight shank nymph hook, sizes 10–18.
Thread: Brown.
Tails: Tips of 4–6 cock pheasant tail fibres.
Abdomen: Cock pheasant tail.
Back: Pearl Flashabou.
Rib: Fine copper wire.
Thorax: Cock pheasant tail.
Wing cases: Pearl Flashabou.
Legs: Cock pheasant tail fibres.
Head: Copper wire or goldhead.
PHEASANT TAIL NYMPH (ARTHUR COVE)
Hook: Nymph, sizes 8–14.
Thread: Brown.
Abdomen: Cock pheasant tail fibres.
Rib: Oval gold tinsel.
Thorax: Rabbit fur.
Wing cases: Cock pheasant tail fibres.
Cove fished this in trout lakes, at the end of a very long leader, slowly inching the nymph back close to the bottom. As in all nymph fishing, the end of the floating fly line must be heavily greased so that it floats and that takes (a twitch, or stop or dipping under of the floating tip) can immediately be noticed and the hook set.
Some natural fly-tying materials seem to have a magical property that attracts fish. One is fur from a hare’s ear – the hare in question being the European brown hare Lepus europaeus.
HARE’S EAR NYMPH
Hook: Wet fly or nymph, sizes 6–16 (mostly 12–16).
Thread: Brown.
Tails: Sparse bunch of natural red (brown) or furnace hen hackle fibres, or few guard hairs from hare’s mask.
Abdomen: Hare’s ear.
Rib: Oval gold tinsel.
Thorax: Mix of hare’s ear and mask, including plenty of guard hairs.
Wing cases: Grey goose or brown turkey quill slip.
Legs: A few guard hairs teased from the thorax with a dubbing needle.
Randall Kaufmann suggested three modifications to the basic HARE’S EAR NYMPH in Tying Nymphs (1994):
(A) FLASHBACK HARE’S EAR NYMPH has wing cases of pearl Flashabou.
(B) GOLDHEAD HARE’S EAR has a goldhead in front of the dressing.
(C) FLASHBACK RUBBER LEGS HARE’S EAR has two rubber legs for tails, two rubber legs on either side of the thorax, and pearl Flashabou wing cases.
RED FOX SQUIRREL NYMPH
Hook: Nymph, sizes 10–18.
Thread: Black.
Tails: Sparse tuft of guard hairs from the back of a red fox squirrel.
Abdomen: Fine red-buff fur from the belly of the red fox squirrel.
Rib: Fine oval gold tinsel (optional).
Thorax: Darker fur from the back of a red fox squirrel, including plenty of guard hairs.
Wing cases: Dark brown turkey tail.
Legs: Brown speckled partridge, 1 turn (optional).
Designed by Dave Whitlock, this is an essential nymph that could be taken for a wide range of aquatic invertebrates.
MICK’S PRE-EMERGER
Hook: Nymph, sizes 10–16.
Thread: Black.
Tails: Few fibres natural dark red (brown) cock hackle.
Body: Mix of 50:50 dark-brown and fiery-brown seal’s fur (or substitute).
Rib: Fine copper wire.
Wing case: Black raffine.
A Mick Hall fly from Victoria, Australia, this is a useful pattern in rivers and lakes throughout the world when dark nymphs are moving to the surface or the shore to hatch into the adult flying stage. The next fly, also by Mick Hall, is what often typifies a great fishing fly. It matches nothing in particular, but might be taken by trout as a caddis larva, stonefly or mayfly nymph, small dark fry, etc.
MICK’S SCRUFFY
Hook: Long shank nymph, sizes 12–14.
Thread: Black.
Tail: Bunch black squirrel tail hairs.
Body: Mix of olive and black rabbit fur.
Head: Chartreuse glass bead (slide this in place at the start).
MUSKRAT NYMPH
Hook: Nymph, sizes 12–16.
Thread: Black
Tails: 2 brown goose biots (keep separate with a tiny ball of dubbing).
Abdomen: Muskrat.
Thorax: Fine black dubbing (e.g. rabbit or synthetic).
Head: Goldhead.
This is suggestive of a small stonefly nymph.
‘Olives’ and olive nymphs are important in all cool rivers and lakes, for these waters are habitat for many smaller species of upwinged flies (mayflies) that are some shade of that colour. The following are four typical olive tyings.
OLIVE NYMPH
Hook: Nymph, sizes 12–14.
Thread: Olive.
Tails: 4–5 fibres drake mallard breast feather dyed olive.
Abdomen: Fine olive dubbing (e.g. rabbit).
Rib: Yellow floss.
Thorax: Hare’s ear.
Head: Goldhead (optional).
PVC NYMPH
Hook: Wet fly, sizes 12–16.
Thread: Brown.
Tails: Tips of 3 olive or brown goose herls.
Underbody: Fine copper wire.
Abdomen: Olive or brown goose herls, from tail.
Over-abdomen: 1⁄8 inch-wide strip cut from clear polythene bag.
Thorax: Olive of brown herls, from abdomen.
Wing cases: 4–6 cock pheasant tail fibres.
This is a modification of John Goddard’s PVC Nymph (the original used dyed condor herls, that are now not readily available).
DARK OLIVE
Hook: Wet fly, sizes 14–16.
Thread: Yellow, well waxed with brown cobbler’s wax.
Tails: 3 fibres guinea fowl (gallina) dyed olive.
Body: Dark olive seal’s fur, tapering from tail to a pronounced thorax.
Rib: Fine old wire.
Hackle and wing cases: Bunch dark blue dun hackle fibres.
This is a very old tying by G. E. M. Skues, and dates from the first half of the twentieth century. Skues is considered the ‘father’ of nymph imitation and fishing.
CALLIBAETIS/BAETIS FUR NYMPH
Hook: Nymph, sizes 12–18.
Thread: Olive.
Tails: Few fibres speckled brown partridge, dyed olive.
Abdomen: Fine olive fur (synthetic or natural e.g. rabbit).
Thorax: As abdomen.
Wing cases: Cock pheasant tail fibres or quill slip from grey goose.
The next two flies were designed by Chris Hosker for fishing deep in very dark or cold fast water. Chris uses them to great effect, catching grayling with them through winter.
BLACK BEAD BAETIS NYMPH
Hook: Wet fly, sizes 12–16.
Thread: Brown.
Tails: Few fibres brown speckled partridge hackle dyed olive.
Abdomen: Heron herl dyed olive (or substitute).
Rib: Fine gold wire.
Thorax: Hare’s ear.
Head: Black tungsten bead.
GREEN BEAD BAETIS NYMPH
Hook: Wet fly, sizes 12–16.
Thread: Brown.
Tails: Few fibres brown speckled partridge hackle.
Abdomen: Brown herl (e.g. dyed goose).
Rib: Fine silver wire.
Thorax: Hare’s ear.
Head: Fluorescent green tungsten bead.
COMPARA-NYMPH
Hook: Nymph, sizes 12–18.
Thread: Grey.
Tails: 3 fibres drake mallard flank feather.
Abdomen: Rabbit underfur.
Thorax: As abdomen.
Wing cases: Grey goose quill slip.
Legs: Fibres of grey speckled partridge.
This pattern is by Al Caucci and Bob Nastasi, authors of Comparahatch (1973) and Hatches (1975).
The following five excellent catchers of trout and other nymph-eating fish utilise another magical natural material, peacock herl. See also: BLACK & PEACOCK SPIDER, see here. They are ‘suggestive’ of things like stonefly and stone-crawler upwinged fly nymphs, and the fact that trout often take them eagerly makes them good fishing flies.
PEACOCK HERL NYMPH (DAVE HUGHES)
Hook: Nymph, sizes 8–14.
Thread: Black.
Tails: 0.
Body: Peacock herl.
Legs: Black hen hackle, either 1 turn or a bunch of fibres tied false.
Head: Black ostrich herl.
PRINCE NYMPH
Hook: Nymph, sizes 10–16.
Thread: Black.
Tails: 2 brown goose biots, kept separate by a tiny ball of fine brown dubbing.
Body: Peacock herl.
Rib: Fine oval gold tinsel.
Hackle: Short-fibred brown hen, 2 turns.
Wings: 2 white goose biots, tied low over body.
ZUG BUG
Hook: Nymph, sizes 10–16.
Thread: Black.
Tails: Tips of three green peacock sword feathers.
Abdomen: Peacock herl.
Rib: Fine oval silver tinsel.
Thorax: Peacock herl.
Wing cases: Slip of wood duck flank feather (or drake mallard flank dyed wood duck).
Hackle: Speckled brown hen or partridge, 2 turns.
STIMULATOR
Hook: Nymph, sizes 8–12.
Thread: Dark brown.
Tail: Bunch olive or olive-brown marabou.
Body: Peacock herl.
Body hackle: Natural red (brown) henny-cock, palmered in open turns.
Rib: Copper wire.
KAKAHI QUEEN NYMPH
Hook: Nymph, sizes 12–14.
Thread: Brown.
Tails: Tuft brown hen hackle fibres.
Abdomen: Peacock herl.
Thorax: Burgundy (brown) floss.
Wing cases: Dark mallard quill slip.
Legs: Two small bunches brown hen hackle fibres.
Although the KAKAHI QUEEN NYMPH was designed by Norman Marsh (in Trout Stream Insects of New Zealand) to match the spiny-gilled mayfly Coloburiscus humeralis, it is a good all-round catcher of trout elsewhere.
AUSTRALIAN HAIR NYMPH
Hook: Nymph, sizes 12–16.
Thread: Brown.
Tail: 4–5 fibres speckled brown partridge.
Body: Rabbit underfur tied slender.
Rib: Fine oval silver tinsel.
Thorax: Hare’s mask.
Wing cases: Slip from speckled partridge tail.
Legs: Guard hairs teased from thorax.
TOM JONES
Hook: Nymph, sizes 8–14.
Thread: Black.
Tails: A few fibres black squirrel tail.
Body: Kangaroo, either natural buff-brown or dyed olive.
Wings: As body.
Many Australians use kangaroo fur in their flies. It is a lovely fur to use, but not often available elsewhere in the world. This fly was devised by John Lanchester to match the red fin fly in the rivers of Victoria, but should be a useful general nymph anywhere.
The following two nymphs are by Jean-Paul Pequegnot, author of Repertoire des Mouches Artificielles Francaises (1984).
PRECIEUSE (PRECIOUS)
Hook: Nymph, sizes 12–16.
Thread: Grey.
Tails: Grey (light-blue dun) hackle fibres.
Abdomen: Light fine grey fur (e.g. rabbit or synthetic).
Rib: Fine silver wire.
Thorax: Slightly darker grey fur.
Hackle: Dark grey, short-fibred.
LIEVRE ET PERDRIX (HARE AND PARTRIDGE)
Hook: Wet fly, sizes 12–16.
Thread: Brown.
Tails: Fibres of speckled brown partridge.
Abdomen: Buff-yellow wool.
Thorax: Hare’s mask and ear, well mixed.
Wing cases: Slip from speckled partridge tail.
Legs: Speckled brown partridge fibres, tied in false.
Following, a fly by Malcolm Greenhalgh that matches a wide range of tiny upwinged fly nymphs that go under the umbrella name ‘pale wateries’.
OPPOSSUM PALE WATERY NYMPH
Hook: Nymph, sizes 14–18.
Thread: Brown.
Tails: 3–4 short tips of cock pheasant tail fibres.
Abdomen: Cream oppossum.
Rib: Brown thread.
Thorax: Cream oppossum.
Wing cases: Cock pheasant tail fibres (from tails).
MARCH BROWN NYMPH (POUL JORGENSEN)
Hook: Nymph, sizes 10–12.
Thread: Brown.
Tails: Tips of 3 cock pheasant tail fibres.
Abdomen: Amber seal’s fur (or sub.) and tan fox fur well mixed.
Rib: Thick brown embroidery cotton.
Thorax: As abdomen.
Wing cases: Cock pheasant tail fibres.
Legs: Brown speckled partridge hackle tied in at base of thorax and palmered over thorax in 2–3 turns.
NOTE: Poul recommended, whenever tying dubbed fur bodies, soaking the initial turns of thread along the hook shank with cement.
American-Dane E. H. ‘Polly’ Rosborough was one of the great fly-tyers of the second half of the twentieth century. Of the following fly, Poul wrote: ‘This is one of my favourite impressionistic nymphs.’
Rosborough wrote a book Tying and fishing the Fuzzy Nymphs that went through several editions (1st edn, 1965; 4th edn, 1988). Two of his greatest inventions were the NONDESCRIPT and the NEAR ENOUGH. Both are very good catchers of trout in rivers throughout the world.
NONDESCRIPT
Hook: Nymph, sizes 8–16.
Thread: Mid brown.
Tails: Tips of 3 cock pheasant tail or red-brown marabou fibres.
Body: Deep fiery brown synthetic yarn; it must have a fuzzy outline.
Rib: Bright yellow thread.
Body hackle: Furnace cock.
Head: Black thread, very large.
The technique is to tie the tails, rib and hackle in at the end of the hook shank, take the thread back to the front of the shank and there tie in the yarn. Wind this tightly down the shank, soak this layer with tying cement, and wind the yarn back before tying this off. Soak again with cement. Now flatten the body with forceps. Wind the hackle forward in open, but close, turns; then the rib. Trim all upward- and downward-pointing hackle fibres. Again, with the cement-soaked body still sticky, flatten. Wind a large thread head and soak with cement. Flatten with forceps. The result is a crude, though effective imitation of a stone-clinging heptagenid (mayfly) nymph.
NEAR ENOUGH
Hook: Nymph, sizes 8–16.
Thread: Pale grey.
Tails: Mallard drake flank fibres, dyed light tan.
Abdomen: Grey fox underfur.
Thorax: Grey fox underfur.
Wing cases: Mallard drake flank, dyed light tan.
Legs: Tips of mallard drake flank fibres, dyed light tan.
Rosborough suggested that the sides of the abdomen might be roughed up to simulate gills, but added: ‘this addition does not seem to enhance its fish-taking qualities; it’s a killer any way you look at it.’
The following two patterns attempt to match the pattern of coloration in most nymphs, which have a darker dorsal surface and paler ventral surface, by using a slip of dark feather fibres over the back of the paler body. This dark feather strip is held in place by the ribbing.
POXYQUILL
Hook: Nymph, sizes 12–18.
Thread: As body.
Tails: Tips of 3 cock pheasant tail fibres.
Dorsal surface of abdomen: Narrow section of brown turkey tail fibres.
Abdomen: Light tan Antron.
Rib: Pearl Flashabout, 1 strand, which also ties down the turkey tail section.
Thorax: As abdomen.
Wing cases: Very dark turkey, epoxied.
Legs: Grouse hackle palmered along the thorax in three turns.
Head: As abdomen.
SHELL-BACK NYMPH
Hook: Nymph, sizes 14–20.
Thread: Light brown or olive.
Tails: Tips of 3 cock pheasant tail fibres.
Dorsal surface of abdomen: Medium or dark dun goose quill slips.
Abdomen: Fine, light tan or light olive fur (e.g. rabbit).
Rib: Thread, darker than abdomen.
Thorax: As abdomen.
Wing cases: Goose quill slips, continued from dorsal surface of abdomen.
Legs: Brown speckled partridge or dyed olive grey partridge.
The large cream-coloured mayfly nymphs live their lives in burrows in lake- or river-beds until the moment comes when they must swim to the surface where the dun emerges. So for most of the year trout are unlikely to encounter these nymphs and, from autopsies of feeding trout, it seems that during a hatch they prefer to eat the emerged duns rather than the nymphs. Nevertheless, these large burrowing nymphs have been imitated and, remarkably, they do catch trout the year round, and in waters where the real nymph does not live!
MAYFLY NYMPH
Hook: Nymph, sizes 8–10.
Thread: Brown.
Tails: Tips from 4–5 cock pheasant tail fibres.
Abdomen: Cream-yellow angora wool.
Rib: Thick brown thread.
Thorax: As abdomen.
Wing cases: Cock pheasant tail fibres.
Legs: Tips of cock pheasant tail fibres used to form wing cases.
NOTE: This fly, designed by Richard Walker, should be heavily weighted, and fished very close to the bottom.
Real nymphs are usually well camouflaged and blend into their habitat, the bed of rivers and lakes. However, some, like the next four patterns, are much brighter and are great attractor patterns.
ORANGE NYMPH
Hook: Nymph, sizes 12–14.
Thread: Brown.
Tails: Few fibres brown speckled partridge.
Abdomen: Orange wool or fur.
Rib: Fine silver wire.
Thorax: Brown wool or fur.
Wing cases: Brown speckled partridge.
Though this imitates New Zealand’s pepper-winged olive, it will take trout in rivers on the other side of the planet. It is very good when the water has a slight peat tinge. The same can also be said of the following – another New Zealand pattern.
RED-TIPPED GOVERNOR
Hook: Nymph, sizes 12–14.
Thread: Black.
Tails: Dyed red hackle fibres.
Abdomen: Red floss.
Thorax: Peacock herl.
Wing cases: Hen pheasant tail slip (dark section).
Legs: Few fibres red hen hackle.
FAISAN ET ORANGE (ORANGE AND PHEASANT)
Hook: Wet fly, 10–12.
Thread: Brown.
Tails: Tips of about 5 cock pheasant tail fibres.
Underbody: Copper wire.
Body: Orange floss.
Rib: Finest oval gold tinsel.
Shellback: About 10 cock pheasant tail fibres.
Besides trout and grayling, this nymph, by Raymond Rocher, has also accounted for several Atlantic salmon.
The next four are New Zealand patterns and imitate upwinged fly nymphs found in the rivers there. They can also be usefully used in North American and European streams and lakes, as they match several natural nymphs in those continents.
SULPHUR NYMPH
Hook: Nymph, sizes 12–14.
Thread: Brown.
Tails: Grey partridge fibres dyed yellow.
Abdomen: Yellow seal’s fur (or substitute).
Thorax: Hare’s ear.
Wing cases: Brown goose quill slip.
Legs: Grey partridge, dyed yellow.
STRIPED NYMPH
Hook: Nymph, sizes 12–16.
Thread: Black.
Tails: Pale ginger or honey hen hackle fibres.
Abdomen: Stripped peacock quill (the best marked come from the ‘eye’ feather).
Thorax: Hare’s ear.
Wing cases: Grey mallard quill slip.
Legs: Ginger hen hackle fibres.
SEPIA NYMPH
Hook: Nymph, sizes 12–14.
Thread: Black.
Tails: Black cock hackle fibres.
Abdomen: Black and dark brown fur, mixed (use a fine synthetic fur).
Rib: Black thread.
Thorax: As abdomen.
Wing cases: Black quill slip (e.g. crow).
Legs: Black hackle fibres.
TELLICO NYMPH
Hook: Wet fly, sizes 8–14.
Thread: Black.
Tails: Few fibres of guinea fowl (gallina).
Body: Yellow floss.
Rib: Peacock herl.
Shellback: Peacock herl.
Hackle: Brown hen.
Head: Black.
