Has anyone ever tied an Articulated Damselfly Nymph?

[AllenOK]

Years ago, I found the 'Flicted Damsel pattern in the FOTW. I tied many of those, as they were absolute killers in small ponds down in Oklahoma.

The only problem I had with that pattern, was the extended body usually fell apart in the first few casts. The thread wraps around the marabou would slip off, and the marabou would no longer be a tightly-constrained abdomen.

I've been watching a lot of tying videos on youtube the past couple months. A couple days ago, I found one for an Articulated Hare's Ear, and a video for an Articulated Copper John.

Last night, at work, I had an idea. Do a Damsel pattern as an articulated bug. When I got home, I ran a quick youtube search, and sure enough, the same channel that I was watching had an Articulated Damsel pattern listed.

I may have to do a couple prototypes and see how they turn out. One of the lakes nearby has an absolutely huge Damsel hatch. I may have to try some Damsel nymphs next year.

[okflyfisher]

http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/fly...fm?parentID=87

[Bruce Norikane]

I fish a pattern like the Flicted Damsel but with a shorter tail that is unwrapped. In the water, the marabou straightens out naturally. It works well for bluegills and bass.

Since damsel nymphs wiggle as they swim, I think the articulation could be a major improvement. I'll try some next spring.

[whatfly]

[snip]I've been watching a lot of tying videos on youtube the past couple months. A couple days ago, I found one for an Articulated Hare's Ear, and a video for an Articulated Copper John.[snip]

"Articulated Copper John"? Got to be one of the silliest pattern ideas I've heard of in quite some time.

An articulated damsel, however, makes a lot of sense if you ever seen a emergence of damsel 'swimmers'. Turns out it is really not much more effective than a standard nymph, however, but still fun to experiment. Charlie Craven's version is as good as any, although I usually use monofilament for the eyes so I can fish them shallow during an emergence, and if I need them weighted, I'll just add a point fly or a split shot.

[FishnDave]

Here's an article about it:
http://www.ginkandgasoline.com/gink-...the-real-deal/

One articulated mayfly pattern I've tied (but haven't yet fished) is called a Hula Damsel Nymph:
http://intheriffle.com/fishing-video...g/hula-damsel/

[AllenOK]

The Hula Damsels were some of the videos I watched. I ended up tying two prototypes. I'll try and get a picture posted when the weather clears, since I use natural sunlight for my pics.

[ducksterman]

Here is one of my versions of the Hula..

[ScottP]

Here is one of my versions of the Hula..

That is one cool damsel.

Regards,
Scott

[AllenOK]

I agree. Cool-looking fly!

[JohnScott]

Damselflies are not a factor in the Northern Rockies freestone streams I focus on. So I have never seen, tied, nor fished a damselfly nymph.

But ducksterman's fly prompted me to do some reading about and look at a bunch of pix of damselflies, including the nymphs.

A furled extended body might prove an excellent alternative to the articulated body approach. An FEB would be cheaper, simpler, and have the advantage of better movement. And they are durable. I haven't had a problem with an FEB in the eight or nine years that I have fished a variety of flies based on the FEB platform almost exclusively.

The JARS FAOL FOTW for December 2012 and the Serendipitous PMD Emerger FAOL FOTW for May 2013 show and explain the technique for creating an FEB with incorporated tails. Combining the forward body of duck's articulated pattern and an FEB of light olive antron incorporating three pheasant tail fibers would probably make for very successful damselfly nymph pattern.

John