Flymen Blog
This Nymph Is a Great Little Caddis Pupa – With Some Added Flair
Hot spots on nymphs are a great way to not only get the attention of the fish you're targeting, but in certain fishing circumstances they can help you track your fly easier by sight. Most hot spots are made with dubbing that is a different color than the body of the fly, but this fly sets itself apart by using brightly colored deer hair tied on top of the hook as the hot spot.
This technique helps the fly stay upright in the water while the fly gets deep in the water column from the weight of the Nymph-Head Evolution tungsten beadhead.
Recipe
- Hook: Kona Universal Scud/Shrimp/Pupa (USP) hook, size #12
- Head: Nymph-Head Evolution Mayfly Swimmer & Burrower tungsten beadhead, olive, size large
- Rib: Ultra Wire
- Shell Back: Kiley's Exo Skin
- Body: Ice Dub
- Hot Spot: Deer Hair
Learn To Tie Chase Howard’s Extended Body Drake, a Nymph With Movement That Is Out of This World
Dead drifting this fly into a swing works flawlessly as the Nymph-Head Evolution tungsten beadhead will get the fly deep quick, and as the fly swings, the Wiggle-Tail Shank offers tons of extra movement.
The weight of the bead isn't a compromise for realism as the Evolution Mayfly Swimmer & Burrower tungsten beadhead is molded after the common mayfly swimmer and burrower head profile – oval, elongated, and gracefully curved at the front but flattened at the back near the thorax with prominent, egg-shaped eyes.
We hope you enjoy tying and fishing this fly!
Fly Recipe
Rear
- Rear Shank: Nymph-Head Wiggle-Tail Shank
- Tail: Pheasant Tail
- Wing Case: Pheasant Tail
- Body: Rabbit/Synthetic Dubbing Blend
Front
- Hook: Kona Terrestrial Nymph Dry (TND), size #10
- Bead: Nymph-Head Evolution Mayfly Swimmer & Burrower tungsten beadhead, large, brown
- Connection to Tail Shank: Fluorocarbon Tippet, 2X
- Tail: Soft Hackle
- Wing Case 1: Pheasant Tail
- Body: Rabbit/Synthetic Dubbing Blend
- Legs: Soft Hackle Fibers
- Wing Case 2: Pheasant Tail
- Body: Rabbit/Synthetic Dubbing Blend
- Legs: Soft Hackle Fibers
- Collar: Rabbit/Synthetic Dubbing Blend
Pocket Water Can Be Some of the Most Exhilarating Waters to Fish
What makes a pocket water fishery are the boulders that block the general flow of the river, forming hydro-breaks where fish lie in wait in the darkness, ready to dart at a moment's notice for food.
As a trout guide, I can’t see myself guiding or fishing anywhere else during the peak season but on my home river in the Adirondacks, the West Branch of the Ausable. Here are some tactics I've picked up from guiding and fishing these waters that may help you next time you're on the water.
Fly fishing small streams for wild trout is without question my favorite piscatorial endeavor.
Aside from the lack of crowds, the gorgeous surroundings, and the all-too-eager trout, small streams offer endless learning opportunities. The lessons garnered from creeks, streams, and brooks can be applied to all aspects of trout fishing.
The following are a few of the tactics I have learned from my experience on smaller waters that I fish frequently both on my own and when guiding clients as well.
Learn to tie this next-generation stonefly.
Being known as a pretty major streamer lover, I often get lumped into the crowd that only ties big, gnarly streamers. But I'm also a fly fishing guide, and not everyone enjoys throwing streamers on 8-weight rods with sinking line all day, so nymphing is a huge part of my guiding.
The Wiggle Stone is my standard when nymphing deep in a stream where stoneflies live. As with any Stonefly pattern, the most important question is "How quick does it get to the bottom" and with the Nymph-Head Evolution Stonefly tungsten beadhead, this pattern goes straight to the bottom and into the strike zone.
Fly Recipe
- Hook: Kona Nymph Streamer 2XL (NS2), size #6
- Antennae: Sili-Legs
- Bead Head: Nymph-Head Evolution Stonefly tungsten beadhead, brown, size large
- Underbody: .025 Lead Wire
- Tail: Sili-Legs
- Ribbing: Mono Thread
- Case: U.V. Chewee Skin
- Wax: Loon High Tack Swax
- Body: Wiggle Dubbing (in a dubbing loop)