"All Purpose" Nymph

[Byron haugh]

Technically, there can't really be an all purpose nymph. There are too many variations amongst the naturals to closely resemble all in just one pattern.

However, if you were limited to using just one nymph, what pattern would it be?

For me, it is this slightly modified Red Fox Squirrel Nymph.

What is yours???

[Chuck441]

Yup. Super fly, Byron. Dave Whitlock's video on his nymph is worth the price. And this thing does catch fish. -Chuck

[okflyfisher]

I would be less specific and say a soft hackle. In the film, drifted, swung

[Philly]

I would go with a soft hackle Bead head pheasant tail nymph. With the pheasant tail feathers I have I can tie them in natural, brown, olive and black. Vary the wire color, bead color and hook size for different looks.

[WarrenP]

I have several "go to" flies, but, a Flymph will always produce for me when all else fails.

[Byron haugh]

Warren,
Any particular version of a flymph?

The Red Fox Squirrel is much like a flymph too.

[WarrenP]

Byron,

My flies do not follow any particular pattern to the details suggested in fly tying books. I have a habit of tying up patterns that I find that I really like and change them to suit me, so, I guess to answer your question I would have to say the Flymph I really like is my version. I tie them up in different colors to match what I feel and observe the fish seem to like plus I always put at least 6 wraps of .020 lead wire under the thorax area of them. Here is one tied up in yellow for a particular river in the "smokies" and I warn you it is not a pretty tie, but, it does work:

[Byron haugh]

Warren,
Looks good to me.

[AlanB]

Could someone please draw a line for me please? Both the flies above look like great fish takers, but to me they would be wet flies. What is the difference between a wet fly, specifically one that imitates a nymph, and a nymph? This is something that I have puzzled over for many years.

As for my go to nymph I would have to say its my BiColour Nymph, however it is more a way of tying a nymph than a particular pattern. It can be tied in many colour and weight variations. Here's some I use on the lochs for rainbows. The yellow dyed pheasant tail is a good bit "louder" than I would use for wild browns.
New BCN_0001.jpg

I tie a reversed version for a "drifting nymph" which was a FOTW from some time back. It will give you some idea of how those are tied.

Cheers,
A.

[Byron haugh]

AlanB,
Good point, and great flies!
As I mentioned, above, Whitlock's pattern could be classified by some as a flymph. But, he called it a nymph.

I normally weight my RFSN's with heavy wire in the thorax as Warren mentioned. I believe weighting it to sink and, hopefully bounce along the bottom would give it nymph status. Often, I have to add weight to the leader to achieve that.

I think what would cause some to classify Whitlock's pattern as a flymph is the collar of partridge. However, if you look at the nymphs developed by some of the great nymph fishermen like Charlie a Brooks, he tied a somewhat similar pattern, though he used chicken hackle instead. Also tied without a wing case as he called it being "tied in the round".

He argued that the feather fibers imitated the nymph's legs. And, when his nymph was bouncing along on the bottom, there was no top or bottom to the bug or the fly.