Polish Woven Nymph

During the Fly Fishing show last month I ran into a friend of mine, Aaron Jasper.  Aaron was tying woven polish nymphs, something I have been doing for years.  I have always liked the appearance of flies with woven bodies but the effort put into tying them always put me off.  Aaron's method of handling the material changed all that.  Using bobbins to weave on the body material really speeds up the process and allows for precise placement of the woven materials.


Some of mine...

This olive over insect green color combination is a great imitation of a caddis larva for the South Branch of the Raritan River.  A stream that I spend a lot of time on every year.  A lead underbody and tungsten bead makes it a good choice for early season high water conditions.

The Mess

This Hare's Ear variant was a real producer for over the last few seasons.  The pattern can not be any simpler to tie!

Recipe:
Hook:  Diachi 1150
Bead: Black glass
Ribbing:  Gold or copper wire
Body: Light brown hare's mask
Abdomen:  Dark brown hares's mask

There is nothing special about this fly in it's appearance, but it is a consistent producer.  It does a good job imitating caddis larva found in most waters.  The fly when dry is quite a mess (hence the name) but it takes on a much different look when wet.  My general nymph box is never without a dozen of these.

The Anchors...

Anchor flies are an important part of my Czech nymph set ups.  The waters I fish are fairly high gradient and fast flowing.  Heavy flies are needed to bring the system down to the fish.  Since no weight is applied to the leader it all has to be in the flies.  When I first started Czech nymphing I tied anchor flies emphasizing the weight aspect.  I used oversized tungsten beads and lots of lead tape or wire to create a very heavy fly.  I never had high hopes of catching fish on these monstrosities, I just tried to tie something heavy enough to bring the other flies (the ones I tied to actually catch fish) down to were the fish were.  Lo and behold,  I caught just as many fish on the anchors as the "fishing flies".  Today I am no longer surprised when I catch a trout on an anchor fly but I still wonder what the hell the fish was thinking...

Though not necessary, jig hooks help flies ride hook point up to minimize snags.  Slotted tungsten beads allow you to mount larger beads on your hooks.

Cased caddis patterns are great choices for anchor flies.  This one will get to the bottom in the strongest currents.

My favorite anchor fly of all.  A large (size 10 or 12) flashback pheasant tail with an oversized slotted faceted tungsten bead and lead underbody.  

Secret Flies - Pavia Nymfa (peacock nymph)

Boris Dzurek's - Pavia Nymfa (Peacock Nymph)

Recipe:

Hook:  *Standard Nymph 12-16

Bead:  Gold tungsten

Thread: 6/0 brown

Tail:  Brown cock fibers

Rib:  Red holographic tinsel

Body:  Peacock herl

Thorax:  Brown and grey (hare, squirrel, possum mix)

*original recipe calls for Maruto 12-16

Secret Flies - Pavi Pupa (peacock pupa)

Milan Janus - Pavi Pupa (Peacock Pupa)

Recipe:

Hook:  *2x long nymph 10-14

Thread: Tan 6/0

Tag:  Orange yarn

Rib:  Gold wire

Body: Peacock herl

Wing: Natural CDC

Thorax:  Synthetic peacock

*original recipe calls for a knapek nymph hook (czech nymph hooks are the only knapek hooks I currently have) 

Magic Dub rock worms

When I cleaned out my old fly tying desk I came across a few packages of EZ Magic Dub.  Magic dub is a fine fuzzy yarn.   I don't remember why I originally purchased this material but it was perfect for creating caddis larva bodies.   A little lead tape for weight, wrap the yarn on for the body, hares ear dubbing for a thorax and a small glass bead for the head.  You can tie one in about a minute and a half.  Here are a few examples.

Secret Flies - Stupajuca Nymfa Hnedeho Potocnika (Brown Sedge Nymph)

Michal Benatinsky's   Stupajuca nymfa hnedeho potocnika (Brown Sedge Nymph)

Recipe:

Hook:  Daiichi 1150
Bead:  Gold tungsten
Thread:  Black 6/0
Ribbing:  Gold wire
Body:  Light brown dubbing (I used Davy Wotton's SLF)
Shellback (over body):  Peacock herl
Thorax:  Red followed by dark brown (hare or squirrel) covered by black thin skin
Antena:  Partridge fibers

Hot Butt Pheasant Tail Nymph

All this snowy weather the north east has been getting over the last few weeks has resulted in a lot of time at the vice opposed to time on the water.  The last few weeks have been spent tying mainly nymphs  (about 36 dozen so far).  A lot of these patterns have been Euro style nymphs.  Almost all of these types of flies utilize a "hot spot" or trigger area of bright color, typically red, orange or pink.  My own experiences with Czech nymphing with traditional Czech/Polish patterns has proven to me that the "hot spots" work.  This Pheasant Tail nymph is one of my most effective patterns.  I tie two ways; with the hot butt and with a hot spot in the thorax (or use an orange bead).  Looking through last year's boxes I used up more of these than the thorax version.

Recipe:

Hook:  TMC 2457 (Tiemco Scud)  12-16
Thread: 6/0 Black
Bead:  Gold or copper tungsten
Tail:  Pheasant tail fibers
Rib:  Gold or copper wire
Hot spot:  Orange rabbit mixed with a little antron
Body: Pheasant tail fibers
Thorax:  Peacock herl topped with pheasant tail fibers ( I also tie it with substituting the herl with Arizona Peacock dubbing and omit the legs - just pick out the dubbing)
Legs:  Pheasant tail fiber tips.

So much for fishing...

... BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING...

A BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING.

HEAVY SNOW WAS OCCURRING ACROSS THE AREA EARLY THIS MORNING AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MUCH OF TODAY. THE SNOW WILL FALL HEAVILY AT TIMES... WITH RATES UP TO 1 TO 3 INCHES AN HOUR. THE HEAVIEST SNOW WILL OCCUR THROUGH ABOUT MIDDAY TODAY. THE SNOW MAY MIX WITH SLEET AT TIMES EARLY THIS MORNING MAINLY ACROSS FAR SOUTHERN DELAWARE... AND MAY BE INTERMITTENT THERE AS WELL.

STORM TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 17 TO 27 INCHES ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE BULK OF THE AREA. AN INCREASING NORTHEAST TO NORTH WIND WITH GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH INTO EARLY THIS AFTERNOON WILL CREATE EXTENSIVE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW... ALONG WITH WHITEOUT CONDITIONS. THE WIND COMBINED WITH THE FALLING SNOW WILL CREATE EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS INCLUDING GREATLY REDUCED VISIBILITIES TO LESS THAN ONE QUARTER MILE AT TIMES.

Looks like a good day to ties some flies!

Mike Irie Bird and Trout

Another one of my favorites...

Secret Flies of the Czech and Slovak Fly-Tiers

I managed to pick up a copy of this book from Fly Fishing Point.  The book is great but I was even more impressed with the site I purchased it from.  The Fly Fishing Point has a great website and their service was incredible.  I ordered the book on a Sunday night and it was in my hands by Tuesday.  The book is a collection of 350 patterns from 21 Slovak fly tiers.  This is not just a collection of Czech nymph patterns but includes dries, wets, streamers and jig patterns as well.  I'll be tying a bunch of these patterns for my local waters, some of these patterns look awful fishy and will definately be something the fish have not seen before.  I'll post the patterns as I tie them so stay tuned...

Sleeping in the Dirt hits the virtual news stands!

Blogger Arron Otto of the Sleeping in the Dirt blog has just published an on line Magazine of the same name. Sleeping in the Dirt is a great looking magazine.  The photography is superb and the content is varied, covering every aspect of fly fishing.  He really did a great job on this one, I can't wait for the next issue.