Bodkin / Patterns

Damsel Nymph

Nymph · Trout · Intermediate · 1 version

Mini

  • Hook Standard wet-fly / nymph hook (1XL), #10-14
  • Thread Olive 8/0

Materials

  • Tail Olive marabou (fluffy base fibers) (small pinch)
  • Rib Fine gold wire (1 length)
  • Body & thorax Olive marabou, wrapped (tail and body from the same plume) (1 plume)
  • Eyes Small mono/melted-mono dumbbell eyes (or two tiny glass beads on mono) (1 pair)
  • Wingcase/legs Olive-dyed pheasant tail fibers (small bunch)

How to tie it

  1. Start olive thread and tie in a small pinch of fluffy olive marabou at the bend as a mobile tail about half a shank long.
  2. Tie in a 3 in length of fine gold wire at the tail base.
  3. Tie in a second slip of olive marabou by the tips and wind it forward to the thorax to form the slim body; tie off.
  4. Counter-rib with the gold wire in 5-6 open, evenly spaced turns (opposite spiral to the marabou) and tie off; this protects the soft body.
  5. Melt/burn a set of small mono eyes (or seat two tiny glass beads on mono) and figure-8 them in at the front.
  6. Tie in a few olive-dyed pheasant-tail fibers and bring them over/between the eyes as a wingcase and short legs; wrap a little more marabou as a thorax around the eyes; whip finish.

Tying videos

← All fly patterns