Go2 Sparkle Pupa 11/28/2020 Photo Album

My 12/08/2019 post summarizes my interaction with the go2 sparkle pupa, and my 01/10/2012 blog post provides a materials table, although chartreuse midge diamond braid should be substituted for the abdomen material. 01/11/2017 provides the story behind my creation of the hybrid caddis pupa, which I named the go2 sparkle pupa.

Effective During Spring Caddis Hatches

This fly has been a mainstay in my fleece wallet since its inception, and it performs particularly well in the spring season prior to run off. I tend to stray from using it in the post run off time period; however the shiny diamond braid might continue to deliver results as an attractor.

Three Go2 Sparkle Pupa

I counted my remaining stock of go2 caddis pupa and determined that I needed to create three additional flies to restore my inventory to target levels. I am anxious to tie a go2 sparkle pupa to my line, as that act heralds spring fly fishing in the Rockies.

20 Incher 12/14/2020 Photo Album

The popularity of the 20 Incher with this avid fly fisherman expanded gradually over the last several years. This phenomenon parallels my increased confidence in the iron sally, so perhaps I discovered the appetite of western trout for stonefly nymphs. They are available throughout the year, and they represent a large chunk of meat, so there is ample logic to support this conclusion.

Size 10 20 Incher

If you click on this link, 11/22/2019, you can peruse my post from last fall, and it provides a nice narration on my introduction to the 20 incher and how and when I utilize this effective nymph. My post of 01/06/2019 displays a materials chart, should you wish to produce a batch. Several solid fly tying videos exist on YouTube with excellent instruction on the tying steps.

Side Profile

I generally follow the standard tying steps with the exception of one component; the wing case. During tying sessions up until this year I substituted a strip of Tyvek for the universally recommended turkey tail quill section; however, this year I returned to the turkey tail section. Initially I switched because the turkey section seemed relatively fragile, but with the addition of a layer of thin UV resin, the fragility issue is remedied, and I believe the coated turkey has a more natural look that the plain, untextured Tyvek.

Seven Size 10 and Two Size 12

I busied myself at the vise a couple days before Thanksgiving and produced ten 20 inchers to replenish my supply. Four were size 12 and six were size 14. Increased playing time on the end of my line causes shrinkage in my inventory, thus, the need for ten replacements. I am certain that my surge in usage of the 20 incher will continue in 2021.

Prince Nymph 11/21/2020 Photo Album

My post of 12/03/2020 provides a materials table for my version of the prince nymph. Numerous videos demonstrating the tying steps for a prince nymph are available on YouTube. I like the Charlie Craven version; however, I deviate from Charlie’s method of attaching the white goose biot horns. I tie the biots on top of the shank with the tips facing forward, and then after I wrap the folded hen hackle, I bend the white tips back over the top of the body and secure them with some tight wraps behind the eye. Wrapping the folded biots seems to create a much stronger mount. Previously I simply tied the biots down with the tips facing rearward, but this method resulted in spinning and the loss of one or both tips after landing a few fish.

A Classic

If you review my post of 11/17/2020, you will learn of two seasonal applications of the prince nymph. Historically usage during spring caddis hatches and green drake emergences have yielded excellent results. My post of 12/06/2019 also does a nice job of describing some of my modifications to the tying steps and the seasons when the prince nymphs provide outstanding results.

10 New Prince Nymphs

As a result of my renewed confidence in the prince nymph, I depleted my supply during 2020. This encouraged me to sit down at my vice to construct four size 12’s and six size 14’s for the upcoming season. I am convinced that a prince nymph imitates stoneflies, egg laying adult caddis, and green drake mayfly nymphs. I call that a versatile fly.

Other Side

Iron Sally 11/16/2020 Photo Album

My post of 12/10/2019 thoroughly documents my relationship with the iron sally, and my post of 12/14/2018 provides a materials table and a link to the story of how I became enamored with this sparkling fly. If you are looking for step by step tying instructions, I recommend the YouTube video produced by Juan Ramirez.

Nice One

I do not have much to add to the narrative on the iron sally; however, during my tying efforts in November I substituted a material for the folded wing case, and I am very satisfied with the results. The standard pattern calls for a folded segment of a turkey tail feather, and the natural feather material does an excellent job of representing the wing case. However, I find that it tends to split, even though I coat the feather with an acrylic spray. I utilize a narrow strip of Tyvek material in my hares ear nymph pattern, and I was curious about how this would look as the folded wing case on an iron sally.

Six Size 16’s

I sliced a narrow strip from an old race bib that was colored black with a permanent marker, and I tied a size 14 iron sally. I was so pleased with the result, that I adopted the Tyvek as my standard iron sally wing case material. It is much easier to work with and accommodates the folding step very readily.

Iron Sally Materials and Flies

I tied ten new iron sallies split between four size 14’s and six size 146’s. This increased my inventory of these productive flies to twenty-five of each size, as I approach the 2021 season. The iron sally continues to increase in importance as one of my most trusted flies. 2021 will probably be no different.

Ultra Zug Bug 11/10/2020 Photo Album

Go to my post of 11/21/2019 to see the narrative on the ultra zug bug, that I published last November. This piece contains links to other older posts that provide a materials chart and tying steps. Another link takes you to a post that describes how I was introduced to this fly and became acquainted with its effectiveness.

Killer

The ultra zug bug is probably my third most effective fly after the beadhead hares ear nymph and salvation nymph. I use it as an attractor similar to a prince nymph, but I also suspect it imitates a caddis pupa with its iridescent sheen and a sheath that mimics a caddis pupa.

Bringing Them Closer

I counted my supply of ultra zug bugs and determined that six new flies would increment my holdings to sixty for the upcoming season. I approached the vise and cranked out the necessary number, and I am now possess a more than adequate quantity to tempt western trout during 2021.

Salvation Nymph 11/09/2020 Photo Album

I have very little to add to the saga of the salvation nymph that was not reported in my 11/17/2019 post. For a materials table and tying instructions check out my 12/20/2011 post. The only significant modification that I incorporated into this pattern since 2011 is the usage of Solarez UV resin on the nymph back and wing case. This step really brings out the flash of the flashback black and flashabou.

Poor Lighting

The salvation nymph continued in its role as one of my top producers in 2020. In fact when I counted my stock of flies, I realized that I lost many more salvation nymphs than hares ear nymphs. Typically loss of flies is an indicator of productivity and time spent on my line. I am hesitant to label the salvation as number one, as I missed a month of fishing from the middle of April through the end of May due to heart surgery, and this time period generally highlights the fishing catching capabilities of the hares ear nymph. Rather than quibble over the ranking, I can assert that the salvation nymph is a top two producer among all my offerings.

21 Salvation Nymphs Completed

I tied twenty-one new salvation nymphs to increase my inventory to one hundred in preparation for the 2021 season. I am confident that this fly will once again be a first choice throughout the upcoming season.

X Leg Nymph 05/11/2020 Photo Album

I lived in Colorado for thirty years; however, I continue to subscribe to Pennsylvania Boater & Angler. I enjoy staying current with the latest fishing trends and events in Pennsylvania in case I make an infrequent return visit. A recent issue outlined the tying steps for a X leg nymph, and the simplicity of the fly struck me. I scanned the pattern and recently had the time to tie some experimental models. I was also pleased to discover that I possessed all the necessary materials to create five brown versions.

Burrowing Nymph

The nymphs have long relatively narrow bodies and, thus, appear to be excellent imitations of the burrowing category of mayflies. Various eastern drakes fall into this category. I’m not sure if there is a brown burrowing nymph in the west, but I suspect the X leg could also replicate a stonefly, as it tumbles through deep pockets and runs in mountain environments. I will certainly allot the X leg some time on the end of my line. In a worst case scenario it should serve as a nice heavy top nymph to sink a dry/dropper rig deep on tumbling high elevation creeks. The long tapered body, undulating marabou tail, gold rib, vibrant legs, and gold bead are all attractive trigger elements of the X leg nymph.

Anxious to Test

Fusion Nymph 05/03/2020 Photo Album

I followed @thin_air_angler on Instagram for a few years now, and I actually met Bob Reece several times at the Fly Fishing Show in Denver. Bob is a junior high science teacher and coach in Cheyenne, WY, but his avocation is fly tying, guiding and fly fishing. Bob is a signature fly designer for Umpqua Feather Merchants.

One of Reece’s signature patterns is the fusion nymph, and the tying instructions appeared in an issue of Southwest Fly Fishing. I was intrigued by the look of the fly, so I scanned it, and given the Stay at Home orders from the covid19 epidemic and my status as a rehabilitating patient, I decided to give the fusion nymph a try.

Love the Look

I found an instructional video online featuring the creator himself, and I gathered the necessary materials. The pattern that he tied prescribed tan ostrich herl and amber ultra wire. I did not have these two materials in my possession, and the local fly shops were closed due to the coronavirus situation. I was reluctant to wait for the delivery of an online order, so I made some substitutions. Bob actually suggested some different color combinations in his instructional video.

Nymphs and Materials

I produced five fusion nymphs, and I must say I am very pleased with the output. The unique concept that Bob incorporated into his nymph design is the abdomen with fine copper wire wrapped over the ostrich herl. This creates a very buggy look, as the herl that pokes through the gaps in the wire creates the illusion of gill fibers. The finished flies appear to be in the pale morning dun nymph genre, but they are easier to tie than a salvation nymph or pheasant tail. I am anxious to give them a try. The flies have a lot of shine and are solidly constructed and could be a positive addition to my nymph arsenal.

Perdigon 04/13/2020 Photo Album

Around five years ago my daughter, Amy, introduced me to Instagram. It was a seminal moment in my fly fishing career. I now follow hundreds of anglers around the world, and I am amazed at the quality and creativity of tiers on every continent. A fly that frequently appears in my Instagram feed from these international tiers is the perdigon. The perdigon fly originated in Spain, and it is a small yet comparably heavy sleek design that quickly plummets to the bottom even in fast water conditions. Many tiers make them on a jig hook, and they typically incorporate a tungsten bead to hasten the sink rate. These flies portray very slender, sleek bodies that slice through the water column with minimal resistance.

I Love the Shine

I never experimented with a perdigon, but in a recent article in Fly Fisherman Charlie Craven instructed on the steps. Given the covid hiatus I decided to make a few. I discovered that Charlie created a video of the tying steps, so I viewed the clip from beginning to end to get an overview. I did not possess any jig hooks, so I dug out some size 18 scud hooks. Charlie did not use a jig hook in his demonstration, so I felt that I was not deviating excessively from the pattern.

Five Completed

I gathered the remaining materials and produced my first perdigon. I used fluorescent orange thread and mylar tinsel for the body, but I struggled to prevent the tinsel from sliding back to clump the tail. On the second attempt I used olive floss for the body, and it was an improvement, although quite a bit of the fluorescent thread showed through the floss. Both may be acceptable to fish, but I knew I could do better. For my last three I used olive thread with pearl flashabou for the body and then wrapped strands of brown and black super hair for the rib. If you check out the embedded photos, you will agree that the super hair versions are the best. The topping on all these perdigon flies is UV resin, and I utilized flow for the layer over the abdomen. The epoxy layer renders a rich iridescent look to the tiny nymph.

Materials Used

For the final step I used a black marker to color a black wing case on top, and then I applied a small thick drop of UV resin for the wing case. This last step gives the fly the stereotypical hump that distinguishes the perdigon. I have five more new flies to experiment with during the 2020 season.

Super Nova PMD 04/12/2020 Photo Album

A second version of the super nova from @hopperjuan_fly_fishing imitates the pale morning dun nymph. Generally a pheasant tail nymph is a solid representation of these summer emergers, and I continue to stock them mostly in size 18. For larger PMD nymphs I nearly always knot a size 16 salvation nymph to my line, and it has become my number two producer if not number one. I am quite satisfied with the performance of my salvation nymphs during both pale morning dun emergences as well as when deployed as an attractor searching pattern. A super nova PMD is mostly redundant in my view, but given the stay at home times and the search for indoor activities, I decided to spin out five.

Bringing It Closer

For these super novas I used brown thread, brown hackle fibers for the tail, slim rib brown, peacock ice dub thorax, and krystal flash black for the legs. I am quite pleased with the output, and I will place some along side my pheasant tails and salvations to try later this summer. This fly has a look very similar to the other PMD flies, but it is a much faster tie and also more durable than a classic pheasant tail.

A Batch of Five Plus Materials

Bring on the pale morning dun hatches in 2020.