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.

Super Nova Baetis 04/04/2020 Photo Album

@hopperjuan_fly_fishing is one of my favorite tiers on Instagram, and during the corona virus pandemic he has been posting various patterns to occupy the hours while abiding to the stay at home order. His super nova series caught my attention, and I produced five to test on the local waters. Juan presented two recipes; one for a baetis imitation and one for a pale morning dun. I attempted the baetis version first.

Small Flashy Nymph

I largely adhered to his materials list; however, I was forced to make a few substitutions for items that I did not possess. With the stay at home order I am limited to online purchases, and I was too impatient to wait for a delivery. In addition, I am making a concerted effort to draw from my vast quantities of materials that would in all likelihood supply five lifetimes of tiers. Juan’s recipe lists diamond brite, bronze olive for the thorax, and I substituted peacock ice dub. For legs he listed MFC midge body thread, and I substituted black crystal flash. I use black crystal flash for the legs on the iron sally, and I love the look, when small appendages are desired. In one other deviation from the prescribed pattern, I utilized two strands of brown super hair for the rib instead of brown slim rib for three of the five super novas. For the smaller sizes I think I like the finer rib of super hair, and I was making size 18 baetis nymphs.

Nice One

Otherwise, I love the simplicity of this design, and I am hopeful that it effectively supplements my already generous supply of baetis nymph imitations. RS2’s and its variations are my main source of baetis nymphs at the moment, but I am not averse to a new fly earning my trust.

Partridge and Orange 04/03/2020 Photo Album

I Did Not Have Orange Thread. Only Neon Orange.

Next in line for trial flies selected from my fly fishing magazines was the partridge and orange. This is a classic wet fly, and I am intrigued to tie some old time favorites to determine, if they might still produce in these high tech times. The materials list specified only a handful of materials, and all were in my immediate possession. This was a relatively simple fly to tie, and I am quite pleased with the result. Wrapping the partridge soft hackle was the greatest challenge, but once I completed one, it became fairly straightforward.

Since I tied this fly in early April, and I completed a couple trips afterward, I tested the partridge and orange on a local stream. Unfortunately I am unable to report any success; however, when wet, it looks amazing. I will continue to test it during 2020, and I am very confident that the old reliable partridge and orange will produce its share of fish. A fly would not last this long without a history of success.

I Love This Macro Look