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F&F Fly Pattern Archive

Czech Nymph

This is quite a complex fly, and needs to be tied carefully. One thing to be noted is that the finished product must be slim at the rear, and become fatter as you get to the thorax, where it should stay fat.

Pattern

Hook: Ashima F50 nymph hook sizes 10 to 14 (although 14 is getting small for weighting properly, so just weight the thorax with a single layer of lead)
Thread: Black
Underbody: double leaded thorax, single for half of the abdomen
Abdomen: chosen colour of dubbing (this can be anything that suits your
water)
Shell back: Bodystretch about 4mm wide cut to a point for tying in
Rib: clear 5lb nylon
Thorax: chosen colour picked out
Over thorax: colour black

Tying

Weight the hook first as described. Tie in the shellback and rib at the rear of the hook. Put on some dubbing and wind the thread carefully so that you start thin and get thicker, and cover the lead too. Take this to the start of the double leaded section of
the fly.

Dub some thorax colour onto the thread and wind on the thorax. Secure the thread at the eye, and then bring the shell back over the back of the fly to the eye. Secure this with two or three whip knot turns (PLEASE DO THIS, otherwise the shell back may contract and pull itself off - then you will be cursing yourself).

Put the rib on and finish - five or six turns will do. Finally pick out or brush out the thorax dubbing to give the fy legs, use a Pentel marker to colour the shell back black above the thorax.

I finish with a coat of thin rod varnish as this gives the shell back a real sparkle, and it seems to work better this way.

Colour combinations:

To find out how to fish this fly see our Czech Nymph Primer by Terry Lawton

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David Westwood of NorScFly ties exclusively for private clients. All patterns for all gamefish, including magazine flies, and repeats of that last fly you have left. Contact him at Davidflies@btinternet.com