Thorax: Cream oppossum.
Wing cases: Cock pheasant tail fibres (from tails).
MARCH BROWN NYMPH (POUL JORGENSEN)
Hook: Nymph, sizes 10–12.
Thread: Brown.
Tails: Tips of 3 cock pheasant tail fibres.
Abdomen: Amber seal’s fur (or sub.) and tan fox fur well mixed.
Rib: Thick brown embroidery cotton.
Thorax: As abdomen.
Wing cases: Cock pheasant tail fibres.
Legs: Brown speckled partridge hackle tied in at base of thorax and palmered over thorax in 2–3 turns.
NOTE: Poul recommended, whenever tying dubbed fur bodies, soaking the initial turns of thread along the hook shank with cement.
American-Dane E. H. ‘Polly’ Rosborough was one of the great fly-tyers of the second half of the twentieth century. Of the following fly, Poul wrote: ‘This is one of my favourite impressionistic nymphs.’
Rosborough wrote a book Tying and fishing the Fuzzy Nymphs that went through several editions (1st edn, 1965; 4th edn, 1988). Two of his greatest inventions were the NONDESCRIPT and the NEAR ENOUGH. Both are very good catchers of trout in rivers throughout the world.
NONDESCRIPT
Hook: Nymph, sizes 8–16.
Thread: Mid brown.
Tails: Tips of 3 cock pheasant tail or red-brown marabou fibres.
Body: Deep fiery brown synthetic yarn; it must have a fuzzy outline.
Rib: Bright yellow thread.
Body hackle: Furnace cock.
Head: Black thread, very large.
The technique is to tie the tails, rib and hackle in at the end of the hook shank, take the thread back to the front of the shank and there tie in the yarn. Wind this tightly down the shank, soak this layer with tying cement, and wind the yarn back before tying this off. Soak again with cement. Now flatten the body with forceps. Wind the hackle forward in open, but close, turns; then the rib. Trim all upward- and downward-pointing hackle fibres. Again, with the cement-soaked body still sticky, flatten. Wind a large thread head and soak with cement. Flatten with forceps. The result is a crude, though effective imitation of a stone-clinging heptagenid (mayfly) nymph.
NEAR ENOUGH
Hook: Nymph, sizes 8–16.
Thread: Pale grey.
Tails: Mallard drake flank fibres, dyed light tan.
Abdomen: Grey fox underfur.
Thorax: Grey fox underfur.
Wing cases: Mallard drake flank, dyed light tan.
Legs: Tips of mallard drake flank fibres, dyed light tan.
Rosborough suggested that the sides of the abdomen might be roughed up to simulate gills, but added: ‘this addition does not seem to enhance its fish-taking qualities; it’s a killer any way you look at it.’
The following two patterns attempt to match the pattern of coloration in most nymphs, which have a darker dorsal surface and paler ventral surface, by using a slip of dark feather fibres over the back of the paler body. This dark feather strip is held in place by the ribbing.
POXYQUILL
Hook: Nymph, sizes 12–18.
Thread: As body.
Tails: Tips of 3 cock pheasant tail fibres.
Dorsal surface of abdomen: Narrow section of brown turkey tail fibres.
Abdomen: Light tan Antron.
Rib: Pearl Flashabout, 1 strand, which also ties down the turkey tail section.
Thorax: As abdomen.
Wing cases: Very dark turkey, epoxied.
Legs: Grouse hackle palmered along the thorax in three turns.
Head: As abdomen.
SHELL-BACK NYMPH
Hook: Nymph, sizes 14–20.
Thread: Light brown or olive.
Tails: Tips of 3 cock pheasant tail fibres.
Dorsal surface of abdomen: Medium or dark dun goose quill slips.
Abdomen: Fine, light tan or light olive fur (e.g. rabbit).
Rib: Thread, darker than abdomen.
Thorax: As abdomen.
Wing cases: Goose quill slips, continued from dorsal surface of abdomen.
Legs: Brown speckled partridge or dyed olive grey partridge.
The large cream-coloured mayfly nymphs live their lives in burrows in lake- or river-beds until the moment comes when they must swim to the surface where the dun emerges. So for most of the year trout are unlikely to encounter these nymphs and, from autopsies of feeding trout, it seems that during a hatch they prefer to eat the emerged duns rather than the nymphs. Nevertheless, these large burrowing nymphs have been imitated and, remarkably, they do catch trout the year round, and in waters where the real nymph does not live!
MAYFLY NYMPH
Hook: Nymph, sizes 8–10.
Thread: Brown.
Tails: Tips from 4–5 cock pheasant tail fibres.
Abdomen: Cream-yellow angora wool.
Rib: Thick brown thread.
Thorax: As abdomen.
Wing cases: Cock pheasant tail fibres.
Legs: Tips of cock pheasant tail fibres used to form wing cases.
NOTE: