The Central New York Fly Fisher

Early Season Nymphs
by Matt Chapple - 4/19/06

Fishing to rising trout is one of the most rewarding experiences in fly-fishing. You know the fish are there revealed by the ring as the surface of the water is broken. The challenge then becomes matching something in your fly box to what the trout are taking. On occasion there is a hatch, insects in flight all around the water, but no fish rising. Blind casting dry flies is an option but often times the trout are feeding subsurface invisible to the angler. In the dead of winter, early in the season, or on a day when the insect activity is in a lull, fly fishers have "go to" patterns for subsurface fishing. Here are a few old ones but good ones to try.

Little Black Creek

The first is the Prince Nymph. This fly has a perfect combination of colors, creating a very attractive and effective pattern for the early season. The split goose biot tail resembles the split tail of a stonefly, which are common is many central New York creeks and rivers. The peacock herl has natural reflective properties, which when under water take on a life of its own making the fly shimmer. The silver rib suggests the segmented abdomen of both stonefly and mayfly nymphs. The white goose biot wing cases, although like nothing in the wild, add excellent contrast against the dark body and provide attractiveness to the pattern. Brown hackle as a beard gives the appearance of legs and adds a little action to the fly. Lastly a dark red head makes the fly very nice looking and adds to the confidence when fishing.

Prince Nymph

Hook: Nymph hook Size 4-14
Thread: Wine 6/0
Tail: Split brown goose biots
Body: Peacock herl
Rib: Silver Tinsel
Wing Case: Two white goose biots tied to meet at the end of the body.
Legs: Collared brown hackle
Head: Gold Bead

The second is the timeless Gold-ribbed Hare’s Ear. The suggestiveness, spiky nature and the lifelike motion of the hare make this fly a must. Like the Prince Nymph, it is not meant to imitate anything specific, but could represent many different immature aquatic insects. It could be caddis larvae, various mayfly nymphs, or an early brown stonefly. One addition to the fly that makes it even better is a peacock herl wing case in place of the feather wing case. The peacock herl adds some additional flash beyond the gold rib and makes this fly deadly. The final touch is again the red thread at the head. This fly is also very effective in olive or gray too. Also add some weight under the thorax if you want to fish deeper.

Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear

Hook: Nymph hook
Thread: Wine or olive 6/0
Tail: Pheasant tail fibers or hare’s mask fur
Abdomen: Hare’s mask fur (olive or natural) dubbed in a brush
Rib: Fine gold wire
Thorax: Hare’s mask fur (olive or natural) dubbed in a thicker brush than the abdomen. Tease this fur out to give it a spiky look.
Wing Case: Peacock herl

The third but not least important is one of the all time greatest fish catchers, the Woolly Bugger. This fly is deadly and is easy to tie in a variety of color combinations. The marabou tail combined with the palmered hackle, provide exceptional action and bring this fly to life. A few strands of krystal flash in the marabou tail add a little flash as an attractant. Some effective colors are olive, black, and brown. Grizzly hackle is an effective addition, which adds to the lifelike look of the fly. This fly is also suggestive and could represent any number of trout food sources. It could be a small minnow, a large stonefly, or hellgrammite.

Woolly Bugger

Woolly Bugger

Hook: Nymph hook
Thread: Black 6/0
Tail: Marabou with a few strands krystal flash
Body: Black hare’s mask fur dubbed in a brush.
Hackle: Palmered the length of the body
Head: Gold Bead

The Fourth is the bead head wet fly, which has been very effective when the water starts to clear for both stream resident browns and lake-run rainbows. This fly uses the both a nymph and a wet fly with a gold bead, creating a very effective and versatile fly. This fly can be fished on the dead drift or on a swing and lift when the water starts to warm up.

Bead-head Wet

Bead-head Wet

Hook: Nymph hook
Thread: olive 6/0
Tail: pheasant tail fibers
Body: olive hare’s mask fur
Thorax: Peacock herl dubbed in a brush
Collar: Hungarian Partridge 1-2 turns
Head: Gold Bead

The Fifth is a black stonefly imitation, which is basically an adaptation of the hare’s ear, which has been very effective in streams with an abundance of stoneflies.

Stonefly Imitation

Hook: Nymph hook
Thread: black or burnt orange 6/0
Tail: black goose biots (split)
Body: black rabbit fur dubbed in a brush
Rib: wire (black, red or green)
Thorax: black rabbit fur dubbed in a brush
Wing case: turkey feather
Collar: black webby hackle

There are countless other effective flies but these are some good ones.

Cayuga Inlet Rainbow taken on bead head wet fly.


Clarification of State Regulations Information and maps for area fishing waters: Salmon River, West Canada Creek, Oriskany Creek, Cayuga Lake Tributaries, and Sauquoit Creek. Winter fishing on Limestone & Butternut creeks… Patterns & technique What type of weight do you recommend when trying to get nymphs and wet flies on the bottom? Find out… What fish can I expect to find in the Salmon River in the summer? Find out… More tips & techniques>> Steelhead Winter Egg Patterns Egg imitations have proven to be very effective when fishing for winter steelhead in the Great Lakes tributaries. Fly Fishing Adventures …I was fishing on Limestone Creek and was walking on an island looking on both sides to see where I wanted to fish. All of a sudden I heard a hiss.… by Matt Kemp My Grandfather's Water …Never frustrated, never in a hurry he would work the water with a swinging fly, then a dry fly and he would catch trout with a smile or if one got off prematurely, he would laugh. So I would watch and gather ideas for the next stop because this was only the beginning. We would fish another spot after lunch… New York Atlantic Salmon The Atlantic Salmon is still regarded as one of the top game fish in New York They are known for their hard runs and incredible leaping ability which makes fishing for them an exciting experience. New York anglers can use a variety of fly-fishing techniques at various times of the year to fish for Atlantic Salmon… More on Catch and Release In the past I have received quite a few e-mails with stories of the sickening behavior witnessed on New York Streams. Education is the Answer. Learn more from the CNY Flyfisher. See all past articles in the archive>>	Early Season Nymphs by Matt Chapple - 4/19/06 Fishing to rising trout is one of the most rewarding experiences in fly-fishing. You know the fish are there revealed by the ring as the surface of the water is broken. The challenge then becomes matching something in your fly box to what the trout are taking. On occasion there is a hatch, insects in flight all around the water, but no fish rising. Blind casting dry flies is an option but often times the trout are feeding subsurface invisible to the angler. In the dead of winter, early in the season, or on a day when the insect activity is in a lull, fly fishers have "go to" patterns for subsurface fishing. Here are a few old ones but good ones to try. The first is the Prince Nymph. This fly has a perfect combination of colors, creating a very attractive and effective pattern for the early season. The split goose biot tail resembles the split tail of a stonefly, which are common is many central New York creeks and rivers. The peacock herl has natural reflective properties, which when under water take on a life of its own making the fly shimmer. The silver rib suggests the segmented abdomen of both stonefly and mayfly nymphs. The white goose biot wing cases, although like nothing in the wild, add excellent contrast against the dark body and provide attractiveness to the pattern. Brown hackle as a beard gives the appearance of legs and adds a little action to the fly. Lastly a dark red head makes the fly very nice looking and adds to the confidence when fishing. Prince Nymph Prince Nymph Hook: Nymph hook Size 4-14 Thread: Wine 6/0 Tail: Split brown goose biots Body: Peacock herl Rib: Silver Tinsel Wing Case: Two white goose biots tied to meet at the end of the body. Legs: Collared brown hackle Head: Gold Bead The second is the timeless Gold-ribbed Hare’s Ear. The suggestiveness, spiky nature and the lifelike motion of the hare make this fly a must. Like the Prince Nymph, it is not meant to imitate anything specific, but could represent many different immature aquatic insects. It could be caddis larvae, various mayfly nymphs, or an early brown stonefly. One addition to the fly that makes it even better is a peacock herl wing case in place of the feather wing case. The peacock herl adds some additional flash beyond the gold rib and makes this fly deadly. The final touch is again the red thread at the head. This fly is also very effective in olive or gray too. Also add some weight under the thorax if you want to fish deeper. Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear Hook: Nymph hook Thread: Wine or olive 6/0 Tail: Pheasant tail fibers or hare’s mask fur Abdomen: Hare’s mask fur (olive or natural) dubbed in a brush Rib: Fine gold wire Thorax: Hare’s mask fur (olive or natural) dubbed in a thicker brush than the abdomen. Tease this fur out to give it a spiky look. Wing Case: Peacock herl The third but not least important is one of the all time greatest fish catchers, the Woolly Bugger. This fly is deadly and is easy to tie in a variety of color combinations. The marabou tail combined with the palmered hackle, provide exceptional action and bring this fly to life. A few strands of krystal flash in the marabou tail add a little flash as an attractant. Some effective colors are olive, black, and brown. Grizzly hackle is an effective addition, which adds to the lifelike look of the fly. This fly is also suggestive and could represent any number of trout food sources. It could be a small minnow, a large stonefly, or hellgrammite. Woolly Bugger Woolly Bugger Hook: Nymph hook Thread: Black 6/0 Tail: Marabou with a few strands krystal flash Body: Black hare’s mask fur dubbed in a brush. Hackle: Palmered the length of the body Head: Gold Bead The Fourth is the bead head wet fly, which has been very effective when the water starts to clear for both stream resident browns and lake-run rainbows. This fly uses the both a nymph and a wet fly with a gold bead, creating a very effective and versatile fly. This fly can be fished on the dead drift or on a swing and lift when the water starts to warm up. Bead-head Wet Bead-head Wet Hook: Nymph hook Thread: olive 6/0 Tail: pheasant tail fibers Body: olive hare’s mask fur Thorax: Peacock herl dubbed in a brush Collar: Hungarian Partridge 1-2 turns Head: Gold Bead The Fifth is a black stonefly imitation, which is basically an adaptation of the hare’s ear, which has been very effective in streams with an abundance of stoneflies. Stonefly Imitation Stonefly Imitation Hook: Nymph hook Thread: black or burnt orange 6/0 Tail: black goose biots (split) Body: black rabbit fur dubbed in a brush Rib: wire (black, red or green) Thorax: black rabbit fur dubbed in a brush Wing case: turkey feather Collar: black webby hackle There are countless other effective flies but these are some good ones. Cayuga Inlet Rainbow taken on bead head wet fly.



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