Bodkin / Patterns

Damsel Nymph

Nymph · Trout · Advanced · 2 versions

Reference Recipe

  • Hook 2x-long nymph hook, 10-12
  • Thread Olive 8/0

Materials

  • Eyes Black ostrich herl (Mono or bead-chain)
  • Tail Olive ostrich herl (Short marabou tuft)
  • Rib Gold middle (Fine wire)
  • Abdomen Olive ostrich herl (Marabou or dubbing)
  • Wingcase Olive/mottled wing slip (Pheasant-tail or Thin Skin)
  • Thorax Olive ostrich herl (Hare's ear dubbing)
  • Legs Olive emu feather (Partridge or picked dubbing)

How to tie it

  1. Mount the hook and figure-8 the eyes just behind the hook eye, then run thread to the bend.
  2. Bind a short olive marabou tail about one-third the shank. Real damsel nymphs are stubby, not long.
  3. Tie in the gold wire, then wrap olive marabou or dubbing forward to the 65% mark for a tapered abdomen.
  4. Rib the abdomen with 5-6 open turns of wire and helicopter off the tag.
  5. Tie in a wingcase clump at the front of the abdomen, pointing back.
  6. Dub a full olive thorax between the abdomen and the eyes, figure-8ing around them.
  7. Pull the wingcase forward over the thorax, bind at the eyes, add a few partridge fibers as legs, whip finish and snip.

Other versions

1 more in the app: Mini.

Tying videos

← All fly patterns