Fishing Flies

Tails: 2 Yellow-buff goose biots.

Body: Golden-yellow or yellow-brown fur dubbing, with slightly fatter thorax.

Hackle: Ginger hen, tied in at base of thorax and palmered to head.

Someone asked Jack Dennis, author of Western Trout Fly Tying Manual Vol. II (rev. edn, 1995), what was his most successful fly:

I gave some thought to the flies I used in lakes, creeks, and streams and had produced well, under a variety of conditions. One pattern kept flashing through my mind – Bitch Creek Nymph.

BITCH CREEK NYMPH

Hook: Nymph, sizes 4–12.

Thread: Yellow.

Underbody: Lead wire.

Tails: 2 rubber legs.

Abdomen: Yellow chenille.

Shellback: Black chenille.

Rib: Yellow thread.

Thorax: Black chenille.

Legs: Blue dun hen hackle plus a grey ostrich herl palmered through thorax.

Antennae: 2 rubber legs.

The following is probably the best specific imitation of the Pteronarcys nymph, sometimes called the salmon fly, though Al Troth’s tying is very effective.

BLACK UGLY NYMPH

Hook: Nymph, sizes 3–4.

Thread: Black.

Underbody: At least one layer of lead wire wound in touching turns.

Tails: 2 black goose biots.

Abdomen: Black knitting wool.

Rib: Black Swannundaze (see here (#ulink_f81d7225-b122-54b5-be44-9495676e2a95)).

Thorax: Dull orange dubbing.

Wing cases: Black goose quill slip.

Legs: Black hen hackle, palmered though thorax.

TROTH’S TERRIBLE STONEFLY NYMPH

Hook: Nymph, sizes 1–4.

Thread: Dark brown.

Tails: 2 black turkey biots, ½ inch long.

Body: Dark brown chenille, with two layers at the front as a thorax.

Overbody/rib: Mix of black and brown seal’s fur (or substitute), put in a dubbing loop, spun and then wound up body between the turns of chenille. Clip back along the top and bottom.

Legs: Trimmed dark brown hackle stalks.

Antennae: Two black turkey biots, 1 inch long.

Woven bodies are relatively new, and seem to have developed mostly in Eastern Europe (especially Poland) and in Norway (where Torrill Kolbu produced several patterns for her Mustad Collection of flies). Weaving is a special technique, but not too difficult to master. Darrel Martin’s Fly Tying Methods (1987) gives an excellent account, while there are several DVDs and CDs illustrating the technique.

WOVEN-BODIED STONEFLY NYMPHS

Hook: Nymph, sizes 6–12.

Thread: Brown or black.

Tails: 2 goose biots dyed the colour of the fly’s dorsal surface.

Abdomen: Woven, with darker dorsal side, paler ventral surface; e.g. black dorsal, warm brown ventral; dark brown dorsal, tan ventral; orangebrown dorsal, yellow ventral.

Thorax: Fur dubbing, as ventral surface of abdomen.

Wing cases: Goose quill slips, dyed to match dorsal surface of abdomen.

Legs: Grouse for the black version, brown speckled partridge for the brown version, and partridge dyed golden-olive for the orange-brown version.

OLIVE WOVEN-BODIED NYMPH

Hook: Nymph, sizes 14–18.

Thread: Brown.

Tails: Sparse bunch bronze mallard.

Abdomen: Olive and grey-olive silk, woven.

Thorax: Fine olive fur.