Reviewed by Deanna Lee Birkholm
There's real help for the fly tiers whose major emphasis is on nymphs.
(And since trout take ten nymphs for every dry it seems very logical
to tie nymphs). Jim Schollmeyer, half of the team of Ted Leeson and
Jim Schollmeyer who wrote the now-standard
The Fly Tier's Benchside Reference
back in 1998, has an absolutely wonderful new book out!
Nymph Fly-Tying Techniques!
Quoting the author from the Introduction, "When I was first asked to
write a book on tying nymphs, I was reluctant. There were already a
number of very good pattern books, and I wasn't really sure that another
one was justified. But when I began thinking about nymph patterns, and
tyers I have watched, and my own tying, one thing stood out - the way many
patterns have evolved from variations on a handful of basic designs and tying
techniques. And it occurred to me that something useful might be written
demonstrating how such evolutions take place and how a tier's repertoire
of flies can be broadened, not by learning dozens of new patterns, but by
seeing how a variety of modifications can be worked into fly designs to
produce the desired appearance or behavior."
This is not to say this isn't an instructional book. It very much is. If you don't have a copy of
the The Fly Tier's Benchside Reference (it was a bit pricey
at $100), and are mostly interested in nymphs, Nymph Fly-Tying
Techniques will give you everything you need! If you do have
The Fly Tier's Benchside Reference, you will find a great
deal in Nymph Fly-Tying Techniques covered in much more detail - plus
the individual step-by-step instruction for the flies.
There are complete basic tying techniques. Everything from hooks and
thread handling to bodies, wings, legs, wing cases, hackle, eyes, bead
heads - is there in detail. Large, full color, step-by-step instructions for
EVERYTHING. For example, under Wings is:
Once through the Basic Tying Techniques there is step-by-step instruction for
the methods used for Lashed and Extended Bodies, Strand Bodies, Herl, Barb,
Feather and Quill Bodies, Dubbed Bodies, Bead, Pulled, Stacked, Spun and
Woven Bodies - each with the flies! There is a complete index, alphabetical,
by fly pattern and by the insects themselves. Absolutely first rate.
In most cases a specific fly then also has variations, the
Marabou P.T. Nymph
also has a variation for a Shellback Marabou Nymph, and taking it a step further the
same technique used on a Marabou Damsel. The concept is brilliant, the book
is done with a great deal of thought and expertise, and is a superb additional
to any fly tiers library. Congratulations Jim, you've done the fly-tying world
a very large favor!~ DLB
Nymph Fly-Tying Techniques
125 pages, loaded with color photographs
8 3/4" x 11"
Softcover, $23.95 U.S
ISBN 1-57188-266-9
Published by Frank Amato Publications.
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