Bodkin / Patterns

Chan's Mature Damsel Nymph

Nymph · Trout · Intermediate · 1 version

Classic Recipe

  • Hook 3XL-4XL long-shank nymph/streamer hook, 10-12
  • Thread Olive 8/0 (70 denier)

Materials

  • Eyes Small mono or bead-chain eyes (1 pair)
  • Tail Olive marabou (1 short clump)
  • Body Olive marabou or olive dubbing (as needed)
  • Rib Fine gold wire (1 length)
  • Wingcase Olive marabou fibers or pheasant tail (small bunch)
  • Legs/thorax Olive marabou or partridge (as needed)

How to tie it

  1. Mount small eyes near the hook eye with figure-eight wraps to keep the long, slim fly swimming level.
  2. Run thread to the bend and tie in a short olive marabou tail, kept stubby to match a mature nymph.
  3. Tie in the gold wire and wrap a slim, straight olive marabou or dubbed body most of the way up the long shank; the straight profile imitates a resting, migrating nymph.
  4. Rib forward with the gold wire in evenly spaced turns for segmentation.
  5. Build a fuller thorax behind the eyes, adding a suggestion of legs with picked-out marabou or a few partridge fibers.
  6. Pull marabou fibers or pheasant tail over the thorax as a wing case and tie down.
  7. Figure-eight around the eyes, whip finish and cement.

Tying videos

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