Nymph Question

Re: Nymph Question

feeds@yuku.com (streamcaster) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:31:03 GMT

Wow. If only two, they'd be a gold bead hare's ear, and a zug bug. I like attractor nymphs. But then there's the timberline emerger (a Kaufmann creation), and his stoneflies, oh, and a peeking caddis and a emergent sparkle pupa. I do most of my trout fishing with nymphs. Nex time I'm in the mountains, I'll broaden out to wet flies and flymphs . . .

Regards,
Peter

Re: Nymph Question

feeds@yuku.com (cofisher) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:07:46 GMT

My go to nymphs are a copper john and a flashback pheasant tail but really, only two? I really need a nice stone fly nymph as well.

Re: Nymph Question

feeds@yuku.com (shakeylee) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 12:54:12 GMT

i'm more of a wet fly guy than a nympher,but if i had to choose nymphs i'd go with a hare's ear and a prince.

Re: Nymph Question

feeds@yuku.com (Boo) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 10:56:43 GMT

Besides the hares ear and ptn I'd add the Red Fox Squirrel Nymph. I think I've caught as many fish on it as the other two.

Re: Nymph Question

feeds@yuku.com (LeoCreek) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 23:40:35 GMT

I also agree with the pheasant tail and hare's ear, if I could only fish 2 nymphs. I would miss a damsel nymph, midge larva and stonefly nymphs at times, though....

A pheasant tail has become my go-to pattern on lakes in the inland Northwest and northern Rockies over the years. Especially in spring/early summer, then again in the fall. Of course, I don't fish the lakes as much in the middle of summer.

A hare's ear seems to be my go-to pattern for dead drift...

Re: Nymph Question

feeds@yuku.com (tonemike) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 22:18:18 GMT

it's hard to argue against pheasant tails and hare's ears. i love hare's ears with soft hackle or with a brass bead. but i've been having such success with a couple of midges lately that it's beginning to make me re-think things. both are so simple to tie! i'll tie 'em in 18's and 22's. one's muskrat (dubbed like a hare's ear w/o a wing case) with a small red head and the other's thin, in dark olive wool with a fine gold rib. tied under an EHC...

Re: Nymph Question

feeds@yuku.com (taniwha2) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 14:53:54 GMT

NZ & UK same story - PTN (I prefer dark tungsten bead and flashback "wing" case), an hare & copper - a hares ear tied simple slim and shaggy no wing case. I'm not sure what the other 192 patterns in my fly boxes are for - gotta put something all those foam slots I guess.

Dries? CDC elk and klinks.

Re: Nymph Question

feeds@yuku.com (gypsy) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 06:52:37 GMT

Bead head black nymph tied on 2x long hook with rubber legs, all around great pattern that consistently catches fish for me. Second is the classic BH gold ribbed hare's ear. Hard to limit it to just two patterns, I fish a pheasant tail as much as any other nymph but if I was limited to just two those would be it.

Re: Nymph Question

feeds@yuku.com (Cornmuse) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 06:51:21 GMT

"My mostly warm water lake fishing $.02. The sparrow nymph can be tied in a bunch of different lengths and colors. It can be a dragon fly nymph, a leech or even a minnow. I have half a dozen different sizes and colors and that covers a lot of what I want for lake fishing."

So many times this kind of question is wholly "trout-centric". Thanks for pointing out that we use nymphs all the time in warm water lakes and creeks, too! I'll second the Sparrow,...

Re: Nymph Question

feeds@yuku.com (whrlpool) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 05:34:24 GMT

Here's my nymph and wet fly mantra: "something drab, something bright, something dark, something light." Cycle through four flies in this way in any sequence, and you are going to catch fish on one or more of these. If you don't, you are not going to catch them with another hundred patterns until something in the stream conditions changes. In nymphs or wet flies, two patterns would well serve to accomplish this coverage, assuming we're allowed variant shades or...

Re: Nymph Question

feeds@yuku.com (delkins) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 05:11:48 GMT

Hey Scuddog- if you can, put up a photo of some of your honeybugs...please
-Dave

Re: Nymph Question

feeds@yuku.com (dpenrod) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 03:19:07 GMT

most of my fishing is warmwater as well. i have had great success this spring with a bead head red squirrel nymph with pumpkin colored legs. aside from that, the bead head gold ribbed hare's ear and black zebra midge have always produced trout for me

Re: Nymph Question

feeds@yuku.com (TimJ) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:38:07 GMT

My mostly warm water lake fishing $.02.
The sparrow nymph can be tied in a bunch of different lengths and colors. It can be a dragon fly nymph, a leech or even a minnow. I have half a dozen different sizes and colors and that covers a lot of what I want for lake fishing. Even if it were cold water lakes I think it would be a good choice. Unweighted and it will even make a very good drowned grasshopper for summer streams.
The other would probably be a pheasant tail or brassy....

Re: Nymph Question

feeds@yuku.com (corlay) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:02:08 GMT

BlueDunn wrote:
If so, what would they be?

my feedback from the Trout this year tells me that I need only one, and in only one size:
#10 Picket Pin.
(not technically a "nymph", per se. but close enough!)

Usually pretty good for me early,
I really expected the effectiveness of this pattern to drop-off by mid-May,
and it did for a few weeks;
but I've taken most of my...

Re: Nymph Question

feeds@yuku.com (scud dog) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 21:09:32 GMT

Only two: that's EASY! I'd have pheasant tails in all the dyed colors + bleached for the light stuff. I'd also use the PTs withought tails or legs for midges. For caddis, eggs, shrimp, scuds, and stones: honey bugs.

Re: Nymph Question

feeds@yuku.com (harleydeen) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:29:06 GMT

Well first and formost would be the Hare's Ear, in various shades/sizes for mayflys, caddis flys, and stoneflys. The Prince nymph for my searching pattern...

But damn it's hard to leave the house with only 2!!!!!!!

Re: Nymph Question

feeds@yuku.com (delkins) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:27:45 GMT

Do glow bugs count? Just kidding.
I love me some beadhead flashback pheasant tails and beadhead LaFontaine sparkle pupaes. These are my normal confidence flies anyways if I'm high sticking upstream. I've always had luck with the BHPT, its my goto fly in 16 or 18.
-Dave

Re: Nymph Question

feeds@yuku.com (Golfswithwolves) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:21:50 GMT

You might be able to get by with using a large Hare's Ear for a stonefly nymph. So, as much as I'd like to keep the Pheasant Tail in the running I guess I'd opt for the Hare's Ear instead for most mayfly, caddis, and stonefly nymphs and replace the Pheasant Tail (which is a GREAT mayfly nymph) with a Brassie for midge nymphs. If I could only have two.

Nymph Question

feeds@yuku.com (BlueDunn) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:08:29 GMT

Ok, here's one for you; do you think you could get by for a season with only 2 nymph patterns (in varying sizes)? If so, what would they be?

My choices: Bead-head Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear and Bead-head Pheasant Tail... I feel like these flies imitate most nymphs I see in the stream bottom substrate. Having said that, I suppose this would apply to Mayfly nymphs. I still think I would need some larger Stone-fly nymphs...

-S