Nympho

Had a few minutes on a cold Saturday here to crank out a few more flies. Dubbing mixes are in place, vice is always up and bobbins always ready... the beauty of a tying shop. Had I only a "temporary" or portable station, I'd have wasted the precious few minutes picking up toys... hehe.

I'm in the process of inventorying and re-stocking my trout box for 2009. The following is one of the main patterns I use. The reason I love it is this: it closely resembles the majority of nymphs you will find in these SE MN streams. That pretty much says it.

Hook: #18 (scud hook is nice but I don't have any right now)
Thread: 8/0 brown, gray, red, etc.
Tail: sparse bunch of dark squirrel tail fibers
Under-dubbing: some crappy stuff you have from the first tying kit someone gave you
Over-dubbing: a good, dark and mildly flashy mix
Wingcase: four strands of peacock herl, preferably from the "eye" of the feather
Beadhead: tungsten or other, to your liking

Notes: you can tie the tail in long, for ease of application, and then pull the fibers forward after a few wraps. This is a lot easier than tying in short. I used to tie nymphs without this "under-dubbing," but they always looked too scrawny. I use up my crappy dubbing where it can't be seen then... and finish the job with a good, exterior-fit mix.

It's a ridiculously simple pattern. It's a go-to though. Complexity does not necessarily beget success.