heavy versions may be tied with body a lead wire underbody and a metal bead head. See also Goldheads, below.
Many of the more effective nymph patterns are general patterns and could be taken by the fish for a host of nymph species. There are also many more precise imitations.
GOLDHEADS
Goldheads are gold-plated brass beads with a hole through them so that they can be slipped over the point of the hook and pushed up against the eye. A goldhead should be held in place by several turns of thread soaked with Superglue, otherwise the bead may be forced backwards by the inertial forces during casting.
Goldheads achieved prominence in the 1980s, being promoted around the world by Dutchman Theo Bakelaar. Within a decade many flies were being tied goldhead style, as well as tungstenhead and silverhead style. The beads weighted the flies and, in the gold and silver versions (now also in colours like shocking pink!), added ‘flash’ that was said to simulate air bubbles associated with hatching nymphs. However it is clear that Goldheads are much older. The Samurai fished with Goldheads in Japan as early as 1650, their gold bead being real gold. More recently, three Goldhead flies were discovered in a box in an English stately home in 1996 that date from the end of the nineteenth century (note that the hooks are tied to gut). These flies come from an era when goldheads are absent from flytying literature. These mysterious three flies are tied as follows:
FLY 1
Tail: Golden pheasant crest.
Body: In five sections: peacock herl-red floss-peacock herl-red floss-peacock herl.
Hackle: Natural light red henny-cock.
Wing: 3 strands green peacock herl (there is no sign of any other wing material).
Head: Goldhead.
This fly is particularly fascinating because of its body, red floss and peacock herl. It recalls the ROYAL COACHMAN (see here) that was invented by American John Haily and has a body of red floss with peacock herl at front and rear. The hackle is also the same, but the rest of the fly is completely different.
FLY 2
Body: Gold bead at tip; rear fifth green peacock herl, rest orange wool.
Hackles: Dirty cream-white and ginger henny-cock, wound together.
Wing: Two cock hackles and two hen hackles, all dirty cream-white.
Head: Goldhead.
FLY 3
Body: Gold bead at tip; middle crimson; front black fine dubbing.
Hackles: Rear green; middle crimson; front black.
Wing: A natural red cock hackle tied on either side.
Head: Goldhead.
The HARE’S EAR GOLDHEAD is a typical modern goldhead dressing and may be taken by trout as freshwater shrimps (scuds) or Gammarus, caddis pupae and caddis larvae (uncased).
HARE’S EAR GOLDHEAD
Hook: Wet fly, sizes 10–12.
Thread: Brown.
Body: Hare’s ear, dubbed a bit straggly.
Rib: Fine oval gold tinsel.
Head: Goldhead.
Many of the following nymph patterns can be modified by fixing a goldhead, silverhead or tungsten bead on the hook just behind the eye.
BARE HOOK NYMPH
Hook: Wet fly, sizes 14–16.
Thread: Red copper wire.
Body: A ball of wound copper wire behind the hook eye to simulate a thorax.
There is no simpler fly! Invented by Oliver Kite in the early 1960s, this is surprisingly effective. In one TV programme, Kite was seen to catch grayling with this fly while wearing a brown paper bag over his head! The problem is that the vast majority of fly-fishers either have no faith in such a simple tying, or they want more complex flies in their boxes.
PHEASANT TAIL-LESS PHEASANT TAIL NYMPH
Hook: Wet fly, sizes 14–16.
Thread: Red copper wire.
Body: Two layers of wire between eye and end of hook shank, with a built-up thorax just behind the eye.
Produced by Field & Stream’s Ed Zern, who noticed that a PHEASANT TAIL NYMPH (below) that had had all the pheasant tail dressing removed by the teeth of several trout still caught fish.
The following tyings will catch trout that are feeding on many small nymphs and also on midge pupae (or ‘buzzers’, see here) in lakes. A fly devised by Malcolm Greenhalgh in Britain; the same idea was independently developed in the United States (see TWO-WIRE BRASSIE, below).
TWO-WIRE NYMPH
Hook: Wet fly, sizes 14–16.
Thread: Fine red copper wire.
Abdomen: Tying thread.
Rib: Dark brown copper wire.
Thorax: Built-up tying thread under thorax, with dubbed hare’s ear over.
