More Effective Nymphs
I was reading through a copy of John Goddard & Brian Clarke's book, "Understanding Trout Behavior" and found their comments on nymph design very interesting. They suggest for visibility of nymph patterns against the stream or lake bottom, you incorporate into the dressing a stip of white feather or silver mylar. They have an excellent underwater picture examplifying this. Has anyone done this and compared the number of strikes versus a dark color material?
Dr Bob
Bob Widmaier
My biggest fear when I die is that my wife will sell my fly fishing gear for what I told her I paid for it!
flashbacks have always seemed to work better on the local streams here in Western Mass than those without--purely anecdotal but that has been what's worked for me
Dr. Bob,
Where did they tie the strip of mylar or white in? If it is something like a zug bug or prince, there is a white biot tied in already I believe. Is this tied onto the back?
Thanks,
paff
I like to place a "HOT SPOT" of bright color (red, orange or yellow), between the abdomen and the thorax.
Parnelli
There's a lot of truth to this claim. I was out on a very small, high pressure stocked trout lake and was catching nothing on anything I used that was all one color. Then, in desperation, I tied on an nymph/emerger with white wings and caught a lttle brown. I had never caught a brown before, so I admired him for a couple of minutes and then bid him farewell.
When things soured again I tried the plain colored flies and got nothing, then tied on a flashback which incorporates pearl crystal flash for the back and wing and caught another brown. Also, the biggest gill of the year nailed the flashback, they seem to really like the pearl crystal flash.
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There's almost nothin' wrong with the first lie, it's the weight of all the others holdin' it up that gets ya'! - Tim
[This message has been edited by MOturkE (edited 03 March 2006).]
Jesus still hangs out with fishermen.
A REALLY good bluegill nymph is the lightening bug.
Donald
For some reason, I have never tied a flashback. A prince nymph has definitely done the best of all my herl body nymphs. With regard to flash, I have never created a flashback nymph, but I do use a lot of Krystal Dub on my nymph bodies. Krystal Dub is a Hareline product that is made from rabbit fur with short pieces of flashabou mixed in with it. If you tie a lot of nymphs "in the round" like I do, this is a nice option. I use a lot of the "Hare's Ear" color and also the "Olive" and suggest these two colors if you want to try it out.
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Peter F
www.fishingwithflies.com
pfrailey@hotmail.com
paff:
It is hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like the throax as the wing casing. I don't think it matters since their point is to tie in something white or bright so it catches the fish's eye as they seach the dark colored bottom for food. The Prince nymph is a good example and the use of mylar or something shiny.
Dr Bob
Bob Widmaier
My biggest fear when I die is that my wife will sell my fly fishing gear for what I told her I paid for it!
I found a pattern for the "Lighning Bug" at:
[url=http://www.telusplanet.net/public/cnangler/html/fom0102.htm#fom4:05f86]http://www.telusplanet.net/public/cnangler/html/fom0102.htm#fom4[/url:05f86]
It looks an awful lot like a variation of a copper john (which typically has a bit of tinsel on top of the wing case) but with less wire for the abdomen and a flashier abdomen (since it's tinsel instead of colored copper wire).
I've been tying Copper John's lately for a fishing trip this summer so the similarity really stuck out.
The Lightning Bug might end up coming with me this summer as well.
Peter F,
i too use krystaldub and like it a lot. It has just enough of the hint of a glint, as Dick Talleur would say, to make it interesting.
paff
Dr. Bob,
If you are familar with krystaldub, do you think that is enough glint according to that article?
Thanks,
paff
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