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Dragonflies and damselflies belong to the great Order of insects, the Odonata. Some have devised imitations of dragonfly nymphs, but trout and panfish are unlikely to encounter more than the occasional real dragonfly nymph because they crawl slowly and cannot swim, and they often hide away in thick weed or debris on the bottom. They are exceedingly rarely found in autopsies.

In contrast damselfly nymphs do swim with a vigorous undulation of the body, and they tend to occur in much higher densities in lakes and slow weedy rivers than dragonfly nymphs. They are sometimes found in numbers in autopsies. So damselfly nymph imitations are important fishing flies.

The OLIVE MARABOU DAMSEL is a good imitation simply because the long marabou ‘tail’ imitates the undulating tails and abdomen of the real insect.

OLIVE MARABOU DAMSEL

Hook: Wet fly, sizes 10–12.

Thread: Olive.

Tails and abdomen: Bunch of olive marabou.

Thorax: Fur dubbing, slightly darker than the tails/abdomen.

Legs: Partridge dyed olive.

Wing cases: Goose quill slip dyed dark olive.

Tie BROWN MARABOU DAMSEL in the same way, using medium-brown marabou, fur and goose quill slip, and an undyed brown speckled partridge hackle.

FLOATING FOAM BACKED DAMSEL NYMPH

Hook: Long shank, sizes 10–12.

Thread: Olive.

Tails: Olive marabou, plus 4 strands Crystal Hair/Krystal Flash.

Abdomen: Olive dubbing, e.g. seal’s fur, or Antron or other synthetic.

Rib: Fine oval gold tinsel.

Wing case: 3 mm-wide green foam strip, extended back to abdomen.

Thorax: Olive dubbing, e.g. seal’s fur, or Antron or other synthetic.

Legs: 6 knotted olive goose biots.

Eyes: 2 red glass beads, lined with mono that is burnt at either end to give black centres to eyes.

A fly by Wendy Gibson for lake fishing. Fish this just below the surface using a slow-sink or fast intermediate line. When the fly is retrieved it will bobble below the surface, but swims up when the retrieve is stopped.

EXTENDED BODY DAMSEL NYMPH

Hook: Wet fly, sizes 12–14.

Thread: Brown.

Tail: Tips of olive marabou fibres.

Abdomen: Marabou fibres from tails wound around piece of olive floss tied in at end of hook shank (an extended body).

Thorax: Fine olive fur.

Rib: Fine oval gold tinsel.

Legs: Tips of a few dark blue dun cock hackle fibres, tied to each side.

Wing cases: Cock pheasant tail herls.

Eyes: Lead eyes.

GOLDHEAD DAMSEL

Hook: Nymph, size 12.

Thread: Olive.

Tail: Olive marabou.

Abdomen: Olive ostrich herl.

Rib: 101b clear mono.

Thorax: Goldhead.

Wing cases: Brown speckled partridge feather, dyed olive, tied over back of thorax.

Head: Fine olive dubbing, with thread painted red at front.

Eyes: Green beads.

Doug Jorgensen’s DAMSEL NYMPH is fairly similar in style.

DAMSEL NYMPH

Hook: Streamer or nymph, size 12.

Thread: Olive.

Tail: Olive marabou.

Abdomen: Olive Antron.

Rib: Fine gold wire.

Thorax: As abdomen.

Wing cases: Duck or goose quill dyed olive.

Legs: Olive marabou tips tied in at sides.

RUMPF DAMSEL FLY NYMPH

Hook: Nymph, sizes 12–14.

Thread: Black.

Tails: Tips of 3–4 cock pheasant tail fibres.

Body: Mix of olive and golden-olive synthetic fur or seal’s fur, with a little twinkle (e.g. Laser Light and Lightbrite).

Rib: Fine copper wire.

Wing cases: Cock pheasant tail fibres.

Eyes: Burnt mono.

Invented by John Rumpf of South Australia, this should be fished in lake margins where real damsel fly nymphs abound.

Gene Kugach gave, in Fly Fisher’s Pattern Book (2000), George Cik’s excellent pattern. This is tied front to back: tie in the eyes first, then dub the thorax, then tie in the wool on top just behind the eye of the hook and take that back to the rear of the hook shank/thorax. There, whip finish leaving the remains of the wool sticking back. Trim to length to make the abdomen, and tease the tip to create a suggestion of the three tails.

DAMSEL NYMPH (GEORGE CIK)

Hook: Wet fly, size 8–10.

Thread: As body colour.

Extended abdomen/tail: Wool strands, olive, green or brown.

Thorax: Olive, green or brown dubbing.

Wing cases: Strand of olive, green or brown wool.

Eyes: Bead chain or burnt 25lb mono.

GREEN DAMSEL

Hook: Nymph, sizes 10–14.

Thread: Olive.

Tail: 3–4 tips dyed olive goose quill herls.

Abdomen: Olive goose herls.

Rib: Fine oval gold tinsel.

Thorax: Olive ostrich herl.

Wing cases: Goose quill slip, dyed olive.

This pattern is by Dave Collyer, author of Fly Dressing (1975).