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September 24, 2008
The Czech Nymphs
Mr. Oliver Nelson, a truly world-class fly tier from England, authored an article in the summer 2006 issue of Fly Tyer magazine. Part of it was devoted to the so-called Czech Nymphs. He reported that these flies gained international prominence during the Fly Fishing World Championships, where the captain of the Czech team mesmerized Oliver with the incredible effectiveness of these flies, and the way in which they were presented.
In the article, Oliver briefly describes the special method the Czechs used to fish these nymphs, which is a study in and of itself. If I understand correctly, the nymphs are cast up stream, and then the angler executes a series of lifting and lowering moves as the fly (or flies) drifts past and downstream. During the priceless time I spent on the British chalk streams, I learned that overseas they call the lift an "induce". It works.
There are many variations of the Czech Nymphs. To illustrate the tying methodology, here's one version.
| Czech Nymph Dressing |
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Hook
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a swimming larva or nymph hook, such as the Daiichi model 1770 used here.
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Thread
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olive 8/0 Uni-Thread or similar.
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Shell
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a narrow strip of a transparent or semi-transparent synthetic material. My choice: Wapsi Thin Skin.
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First Rib (Optional)
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oval tinsel or wire. Here, green Uni Soft Wire.
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Second Rib
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fine to very fine monofilament; 4X used here.
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Underbody
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lead-free weighting wire; here, .015 inch diameter.
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Body
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sparkly diffused dubbing; here, a synthetic blend.
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Hot Spot (Optional)
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a small ball of bright dubbing or yarn; here, bright orange Uni Yarn.
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Throat
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"spiky" hares ear dubbing.
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Note: these are materials I particularly like. Feel free to make substitutions, if you wish.
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- Wrap a thread base, going down around the bend a little.
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- Tie in the following: the monofilament second ribbing, the strip of Wapsi Thin Skin, and the Uni Soft Wire first ribbing.
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- Wrap a layer of the weighting wire, covering the portion of the hook in the photo.
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- Dub the body, covering the part of the hook in the photo.
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- Reverse-wrap the Uni Soft Wire, meaning coming over from the back towards yourself.
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- Wrap or dub the "hot spot".
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- Dub on the throat.
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- Bring the Thin Skin forward, covering the back, and reverse-wrap the monofilament. Then trim and tie off.
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- The finished nymph. Apply a little color, if you desire, with a waterproof marker.
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All of my fly tying projects are available as downloadable, printable PDF files! Just click and print each of the projects listed below, and you will be on your way to developing a library of specialized flies and fly tying techniques.
These PDF files require an Acrobat Reader. If your computer does not
have one, you can download a free copy of the Adobe Acrobat Reader.
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