20 Incher – 01/06/2019

20 Incher 01/06/2019 Photo Album

Historically I did not select the 20 incher for my line often, but I probably should give it more stream time. It is an effective heavy fish attractor that commands attention particularly in deep runs, riffles and pockets. My post of 02/06/2014 provided a deeper narrative on my reasons for tying this reliable workhorse fly. I suspect that I have not tied additional quantities of this nymph since 2014, so I counted my supply and took my position at the vise and cranked out six additional models.

UV on the Wing Case

Fly ComponentMaterial
HookTiemco 5262 Size 12 or equivalent
BeadBrass gold sized to fit the hook
ThreadBlack 6/0
TailBrown goose biots
RibGold ultra wire
AbdomenPeacock herl
Wing CaseTurkey tail feather section
LegsPheasant feather
ThoraxHares mask dubbing

I found six damaged and unraveling large nymphs in my storage canisters, and I converted these into more than acceptable refurbished versions of the peacock herl nymph. I made a few modifications from the instructions that I described in my 02/06/2014 post. I did not weight these six twenty inchers, as I assumed that a split shot or two could serve as the ballast, should I need to dive deep. Instead of copper wire I utilized medium gold ultra wire, and I was quite pleased with the look that this produced. On my 2014 versions I used Tyvek material for the wing case, but in 2019 I opted for the more traditional section from a turkey tail feather. To enhance the fragile nature of the turkey fibers, I applied a coat of Solarez UV resin to the wing case upon completion of the six flies. This layer of epoxy enhanced the natural look of the 20 incher in addition to adding durability.

Six Recovered 20 Inchers