N E W S : I invite you join me on a trip to Patagonia, Chile in December of 2008. For details, go to the Trips page. JUST IN: qualify for a 35% discount. My new book Flies for the 21st Century is now available! If you'd like a personalized, autographed copy, please click here for details.       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 Hook a swimming larva or nymph hook, such as the Daiichi model 1770 used here. Thread olive 8/0 Uni-Thread or similar. Shell a narrow strip of a transparent or semi-transparent synthetic material. My choice: Wapsi Thin Skin. First Rib (Optional) oval tinsel or wire. Here, green Uni Soft Wire. Second Rib fine to very fine monofilament; 4X used here. Underbody lead-free weighting wire; here, .015 inch diameter. Body sparkly diffused dubbing; here, a synthetic blend. Hot Spot (Optional) a small ball of bright dubbing or yarn; here, bright orange Uni Yarn. Throat "spiky" hares ear dubbing. Note: these are materials I particularly like. Feel free to make substitutions, if you wish. Wrap a thread base, going down around the bend a little. Tie in the following: the monofilament second ribbing, the strip of Wapsi Thin Skin, and the Uni Soft Wire first ribbing. Wrap a layer of the weighting wire, covering the portion of the hook in the photo. Dub the body, covering the part of the hook in the photo. Reverse-wrap the Uni Soft Wire, meaning coming over from the back towards yourself. Wrap or dub the "hot spot". Dub on the throat. Bring the Thin Skin forward, covering the back, and reverse-wrap the monofilament. Then trim and tie off. The finished nymph. Apply a little color, if you desire, with a waterproof marker. 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. 1. Parachute Flies 2. Bead Thorax Nymph 3. Hex Fly 4. Mating Trico 5. Conehead Marabou Muddler 6a. Dick's Conehead Pin Smelt 6b. Pumpkin Head 7. Ultimately Simple Foam Hoppers 8. Konstructing the Klinkhamer 9. Jack Gartside's Soft-Hackle Streamer 10. Pink Lady 11. Striper Fly 12. Trico and Blue-Winged Olive   13. Black Ghost 14. Alton Girl 15. E-Foam-Erella Spinner 16. Midge Larva 17. Funky Bunker 18. Sim's Seducer, Brahma Sutra 19. Whiting American Hackle 20. Craft Fur Black Ghost Conehead 21. The Shushan Postmaster 22. Lew Oatman's Baby Brook Trout 23. Bead Head Hare's Ear Soft Hackle 24. Pheasant Tail Copper Bead Head 25. The Kennebago Muddler 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.