mandinga
04-04-2006, 06:47 PM
6 Years ago a really good friend who is also a very well know flyfisher/tyer and I were fishing the spring creeks of the Sierra Nevadas. He always told me that he was unsatisfied with the look of the standard nymphs that we had been using our entire lives. I remember him saying "nymphs are flat, at least a large number of them are flat..." Over the next couple years he played around with many different flatback patterns until he found his niche...the hunchback nymph. His famous hunchback nymph(california, NV) was a knockoff of my less famous flatback two tone...lol.
This pattern fishes very well and imitates a LARGE number of bugs and can be tied in many size, shape and color combinations...I have tied them on size 10-24. Pinks, greens, tans, blacks, reds...It fishes alot like a czech style nymph. My box has hundreds of colors and sizes, your's should too.
Materials needed;
Hook- any scud/pupa shaped hook size 12-20
Dubbing- take your pick. I love greens and tans
gills(optional)-partridge(not shown)
tail- z-lon
back- plastic or scud back material
bead- tungsten preffered, any color
lead- FLAT LEAD! or round lead if you cant find flat.
thread- Benecchi thread 12/0
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/hook_and_bead.JPG
a curved hook and bead are essential for this pattern. this is a size 14.
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/half_lead_2.JPG
This is the key step to making this pattern have a flat back. Flat lead is helpful, but not required.
-Take a 1" piece of lead(thickness depends on hook size) and lay it DIRECTLY ON THE SIDE OF THE HOOK, extending 1/2 the length of the hook. tie down the first side and do the same to the other side. This will give the nymph back a "flatback" appearance. The trick is to wind slow, light pressure at first, but eventually you want to crank it down...keeping it even is essential.
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/full_lead_top_3.JPG
The above image shows what a finished flatback lead application should look like. Notice the width of the nymph...and remember that from the side it still hase a relatively flat appearance.
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/copper_wire4.JPG
Tie in a body wrap. You can use gold tinsel, or copper wire....for this application I have used copper wire.
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/half_dub5.JPG
Next we are going to dub the rear of the nymph(any color you want). I use a very sparse amount of dubbing and I wrap it as tight as possible, but I do like to maintain a "buggy" appearance so I choose my dubbing accordingly. Starting from the rear dub until you are just above the lead.
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/wire_wrapped6.JPG
Wrap the copper wire(or gold tinsel) forward and tie down. Remember to wrap the opposite direction of your thread.
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/shellback7.JPG
Clip a small piece of shellback, or nymphskin. Tie in facing towards the back of the hook. It should lay flat on the lead, directly infront of the rear dubbing.
Now you need to choose your 2nd dub color, or you can do the same color as the first...its up to you, mix'n'match to match the hatch. Use even less dubbing for the front of the fly.
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/dubfinished8.JPG
Wrap the dub forward to the bead. then pull the shellback down tightly and tie it down directly behind the bead.
Whip finish and you are done.
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/finished9.JPG
Below are many other color options and size options...Pinks are very popular on spring creeks where i'm from...along with greens and tans.
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/alt1.JPG
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/alt2.JPG
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/alt3.JPG
This pattern fishes very well and imitates a LARGE number of bugs and can be tied in many size, shape and color combinations...I have tied them on size 10-24. Pinks, greens, tans, blacks, reds...It fishes alot like a czech style nymph. My box has hundreds of colors and sizes, your's should too.
Materials needed;
Hook- any scud/pupa shaped hook size 12-20
Dubbing- take your pick. I love greens and tans
gills(optional)-partridge(not shown)
tail- z-lon
back- plastic or scud back material
bead- tungsten preffered, any color
lead- FLAT LEAD! or round lead if you cant find flat.
thread- Benecchi thread 12/0
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/hook_and_bead.JPG
a curved hook and bead are essential for this pattern. this is a size 14.
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/half_lead_2.JPG
This is the key step to making this pattern have a flat back. Flat lead is helpful, but not required.
-Take a 1" piece of lead(thickness depends on hook size) and lay it DIRECTLY ON THE SIDE OF THE HOOK, extending 1/2 the length of the hook. tie down the first side and do the same to the other side. This will give the nymph back a "flatback" appearance. The trick is to wind slow, light pressure at first, but eventually you want to crank it down...keeping it even is essential.
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/full_lead_top_3.JPG
The above image shows what a finished flatback lead application should look like. Notice the width of the nymph...and remember that from the side it still hase a relatively flat appearance.
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/copper_wire4.JPG
Tie in a body wrap. You can use gold tinsel, or copper wire....for this application I have used copper wire.
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/half_dub5.JPG
Next we are going to dub the rear of the nymph(any color you want). I use a very sparse amount of dubbing and I wrap it as tight as possible, but I do like to maintain a "buggy" appearance so I choose my dubbing accordingly. Starting from the rear dub until you are just above the lead.
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/wire_wrapped6.JPG
Wrap the copper wire(or gold tinsel) forward and tie down. Remember to wrap the opposite direction of your thread.
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/shellback7.JPG
Clip a small piece of shellback, or nymphskin. Tie in facing towards the back of the hook. It should lay flat on the lead, directly infront of the rear dubbing.
Now you need to choose your 2nd dub color, or you can do the same color as the first...its up to you, mix'n'match to match the hatch. Use even less dubbing for the front of the fly.
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/dubfinished8.JPG
Wrap the dub forward to the bead. then pull the shellback down tightly and tie it down directly behind the bead.
Whip finish and you are done.
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/finished9.JPG
Below are many other color options and size options...Pinks are very popular on spring creeks where i'm from...along with greens and tans.
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/alt1.JPG
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/alt2.JPG
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/alt3.JPG