Wet fly or straight shank nymph hook, sizes 10–18.
Thread: Brown.
Tails: Tips of 4–6 cock pheasant tail fibres.
Abdomen: Cock pheasant tail.
Back: Pearl Flashabou.
Rib: Fine copper wire.
Thorax: Cock pheasant tail.
Wing cases: Pearl Flashabou.
Legs: Cock pheasant tail fibres.
Head: Copper wire or goldhead.
PHEASANT TAIL NYMPH (ARTHUR COVE)
Hook: Nymph, sizes 8–14.
Thread: Brown.
Abdomen: Cock pheasant tail fibres.
Rib: Oval gold tinsel.
Thorax: Rabbit fur.
Wing cases: Cock pheasant tail fibres.
Cove fished this in trout lakes, at the end of a very long leader, slowly inching the nymph back close to the bottom. As in all nymph fishing, the end of the floating fly line must be heavily greased so that it floats and that takes (a twitch, or stop or dipping under of the floating tip) can immediately be noticed and the hook set.
Some natural fly-tying materials seem to have a magical property that attracts fish. One is fur from a hare’s ear – the hare in question being the European brown hare Lepus europaeus.
HARE’S EAR NYMPH
Hook: Wet fly or nymph, sizes 6–16 (mostly 12–16).
Thread: Brown.
Tails: Sparse bunch of natural red (brown) or furnace hen hackle fibres, or few guard hairs from hare’s mask.
Abdomen: Hare’s ear.
Rib: Oval gold tinsel.
Thorax: Mix of hare’s ear and mask, including plenty of guard hairs.
Wing cases: Grey goose or brown turkey quill slip.
Legs: A few guard hairs teased from the thorax with a dubbing needle.
Randall Kaufmann suggested three modifications to the basic HARE’S EAR NYMPH in Tying Nymphs (1994):
(A) FLASHBACK HARE’S EAR NYMPH has wing cases of pearl Flashabou.
(B) GOLDHEAD HARE’S EAR has a goldhead in front of the dressing.
(C) FLASHBACK RUBBER LEGS HARE’S EAR has two rubber legs for tails, two rubber legs on either side of the thorax, and pearl Flashabou wing cases.
RED FOX SQUIRREL NYMPH
Hook: Nymph, sizes 10–18.
Thread: Black.
Tails: Sparse tuft of guard hairs from the back of a red fox squirrel.
Abdomen: Fine red-buff fur from the belly of the red fox squirrel.
Rib: Fine oval gold tinsel (optional).
Thorax: Darker fur from the back of a red fox squirrel, including plenty of guard hairs.
Wing cases: Dark brown turkey tail.
Legs: Brown speckled partridge, 1 turn (optional).
Designed by Dave Whitlock, this is an essential nymph that could be taken for a wide range of aquatic invertebrates.
MICK’S PRE-EMERGER
Hook: Nymph, sizes 10–16.
Thread: Black.
Tails: Few fibres natural dark red (brown) cock hackle.
Body: Mix of 50:50 dark-brown and fiery-brown seal’s fur (or substitute).
Rib: Fine copper wire.
Wing case: Black raffine.
A Mick Hall fly from Victoria, Australia, this is a useful pattern in rivers and lakes throughout the world when dark nymphs are moving to the surface or the shore to hatch into the adult flying stage. The next fly, also by Mick Hall, is what often typifies a great fishing fly. It matches nothing in particular, but might be taken by trout as a caddis larva, stonefly or mayfly nymph, small dark fry, etc.
MICK’S SCRUFFY
Hook: Long shank nymph, sizes 12–14.
Thread: Black.
Tail: Bunch black squirrel tail hairs.
Body: Mix of olive and black rabbit fur.
Head: Chartreuse glass bead (slide this in place at the start).
MUSKRAT NYMPH
Hook:
