Unnamed Flymph

[Donald Nicolson]

Trusty Rusty is a suggested name:-
Hook: Standard wet 14 Barbless
Tail: Rusty Dun
Rib: Gold
Body: Light Hair Mask
Thorax: Rusty Brown
Hackle: Rusty Dun Hen

[Byron haugh]

Hi Donald,
Weren't you calling these patterns "nymphs" before?

[JeffHamm]

I really like the look of that. Should produce the goods. Have you had a chance to fish it?

- Jeff

[Uncle Jesse]

Exactly what is a flymph? A nymph with hackle?

[Byron haugh]

Exactly what is a flymph? A nymph with hackle?

My personal definition is " a non-winged emerger made of soft materials and meant to imitate an emerger - suggesting a live insect in its rise to the surface"

[maodiver]

Taken from www.flymph.com

"*Vernon S. ?Pete? Hidy coined the term flymph. What is a flymph? A flymph is a hatching insect be it mayfly, caddisfly, midge, or stonefly that according to Pete Hidy is in the stage of metamorphosis ?changing from wingless nymphs to flies with wings?. These flies are historically fished with a across and downstream technique that allows the current to naturally swing and raise the fly up to the surface in front of a rising or holding fish in a manner that activates the soft hackle collar and body materials effectively imitating life in the ascending artificial fly. The attraction of these flies is that not only do they look natural but they behave natural as well. They have movement; they have the appearance of life.
*Real nymphs don?t roll over as they drift in the stream but a fly tied on a tippet will twist and turn. Thus as flymphs and shn?s are usually ?tied in the round?, meaning they don?t have a designated top or bottom, they look more natural to trout. A fly that is tied with a designated back such as a wingcase and underside can look fake if it rides upside down as this is a very un-natural position, one that can cause fish to refuse to strike out of suspicion.

*Traditionally flymphs are tied with natural body materials that will undulate in the currents. These body materials include hare?s mask, peacock, muskrat, mole, squirrel, and other natural fur with guard hairs. Shaggy body materials like rabbit, hare, and squirrel hold water well, sink quickly and also capture small air bubbles when they penetrate the surface film. These air bubbles create shimmer and sheen and look particularly similar to caddis pupa which uses internal gases to propel them to the surface or egg-laying caddis that dive underwater to lay eggs and carry with them oxygen bubbles for respiration. The hackle collars of flymphs are chosen with color and movement in mind to match the emerging wings, antennae, and legs of the ascending nymph. Soft, webby feathers such as hen, partridge, grouse, starling, woodcock, or quail are choice. These feathers absorb water and each has it own unique action underwater.

*Some modern flymphs are even tied with bodies representing both nymphal and adult components. For instance, the Transition Flymph is tied with a natural pheasant tail abdomen and a rabbit fur thorax of the shade of the emerging body of the adult mayfly. Furthermore, a Z-Lon shuck can be added giving the appearance of the nymph shedding its exoskeleton on its way to the surface"
"

[Byron haugh]

Donald,
Is this a "nymph" or a "flymph". http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/s...520#post451520

[Byron haugh]

Taken from www.flymph.com

"*Vernon S. ?Pete? Hidy coined the term flymph. What is a flymph? A flymph is a hatching insect be it mayfly, caddisfly, midge, or stonefly that according to Pete Hidy is in the stage of metamorphosis ?changing from wingless nymphs to flies with wings?. These flies are historically fished with a across and downstream technique that allows the current to naturally swing and raise the fly up to the surface in front of a rising or holding fish in a manner that activates the soft hackle collar and body materials effectively imitating life in the ascending artificial fly. The attraction of these flies is that not only do they look natural but they behave natural as well. They have movement; they have the appearance of life.
*Real nymphs don?t roll over as they drift in the stream but a fly tied on a tippet will twist and turn. Thus as flymphs and shn?s are usually ?tied in the round?, meaning they don?t have a designated top or bottom, they look more natural to trout. A fly that is tied with a designated back such as a wingcase and underside can look fake if it rides upside down as this is a very un-natural position, one that can cause fish to refuse to strike out of suspicion.

*Traditionally flymphs are tied with natural body materials that will undulate in the currents. These body materials include hare?s mask, peacock, muskrat, mole, squirrel, and other natural fur with guard hairs. Shaggy body materials like rabbit, hare, and squirrel hold water well, sink quickly and also capture small air bubbles when they penetrate the surface film. These air bubbles create shimmer and sheen and look particularly similar to caddis pupa which uses internal gases to propel them to the surface or egg-laying caddis that dive underwater to lay eggs and carry with them oxygen bubbles for respiration. The hackle collars of flymphs are chosen with color and movement in mind to match the emerging wings, antennae, and legs of the ascending nymph. Soft, webby feathers such as hen, partridge, grouse, starling, woodcock, or quail are choice. These feathers absorb water and each has it own unique action underwater.

*Some modern flymphs are even tied with bodies representing both nymphal and adult components. For instance, the Transition Flymph is tied with a natural pheasant tail abdomen and a rabbit fur thorax of the shade of the emerging body of the adult mayfly. Furthermore, a Z-Lon shuck can be added giving the appearance of the nymph shedding its exoskeleton on its way to the surface"
"

Really surprised that stoneflies are included in the above definition. Stoneflies generally crawl out of the water as nymphs before molting. Thus would not be an "emerger". Very little evidence of stoneflies which metamorph like caddis or mayflies...............

[Donald Nicolson]

It is what both Leisenring and Skues would call a nymph. The word Flymph was coined by Pete Hidy.
Most of Hidy's flymphs used up-eyed hooks, apart from that they were not much different from
Leisenring and Skues nymphs. One point, both of them preferred down-eyed hooks.
The naming as flymph or nymph is not very important. I did it because I thought some people
were making a big deal out of up-eyed flymphs and down eyed nymphs.
I don't really care what term people use.
I usually call them all nymphs, for that is what they are.

[Byron haugh]

And, soft hackles were called "spiders". As we learn more and more about insects, their behaviors, and methods of more accurately imitating them, we also develop more descriptive names.
At one time, all subsurface imitations were "wet flies".........................