Floating Nymph

[Guest]

I found this fly searching on the internet looking for a fly for the panfish swap. It is called a "floating nymph", most of the ones that I seen pictured used natural colors but I choose a bright "caddis green" dubbing just to add a little flare to the fly. The wingcase is foam which will keep the fly floating.

 

[SDHflyfisher 0]

is that you're entry fo the swap

nice fly

 

[Guest]

Put some hen or other soft hackle behind the foam and you'll have a nice emerger pattern too.

[Guest]

Looks awesome, but I bet it sinks

[SALMONATOR 0]

Na, squeeze a little floatant into it and it'll ride Just fine (just barely beak the surface if at all). I'll bet it kills the trout in the spring.

 

Al

[J Desjardins 0]

Nice fly Will. I tie a PT nymph with a foam wing case that works well on trout, though it takes a lot of foam to float it.

[Guest]

You guys forced me to do a water test on these things...LOL

 

Here are my finding:

 

1. The fly does float on initial contact with the water

 

2. Once the fly begins to absorb water the fly will sink

 

Maybe like Al said the fly would be helped by a little floatant but a slowly falling fly is not a bad thing for a bluegill fly. I guess I may have used too big of a hook because where I found the pattern they said they floating like a dream and they used the same amount of foam for a thorax

[Guest]

QUOTE

Got a tip from TODDFATHER recently that may just be the ultimate in floatant thuogh. It's an archery product called "fletch-dry" (I think). Archers use it on there arrows to water-proof traditional feather fletchings. It comes in a powder form like "Frog's Fanny", but you can get ALOT more for your money. He claimes that if you brush it into your fly, you can actually float a bead-head.

 

Might want to try this the good Doctor know's his

 

 

OSD.

[SALMONATOR 0]

You ever try that stuff OSD? I've got to give it a shot. Hell, if it workes even HALF as good as Todd claims, it should float a dry better than anything I've ever used.

 

Will,

 

Guess I was thinking trout while lookingat this fly. If that were the case, I don't know if you really want this fly to "float" anyway. Looks like a killer emerger pattern to me. It's got just enough foam to keep it near the top, and a drop of floatant could keep it dangling in the surface film. It's tough to do a real good "float-test" in a bathtub or sink on a fly like that. Remember the current of a river will "push" this fly to the top of the water column anyway. I think it'll end up right in the strike-zone all on it's own if the trout are hitting emergers. Try the floatant thing when bugs first start riding the top.

 

If you deffinately want it on top for still-water fishing, I'd try that fletch-dry stuff for starters. Sounds like the bomb. Good Luck.

 

Al

[Dble Haul 0]

A little CDC tied in behind the foam wingpad might help your flotation situation. Plus it would give your fly some pinache.

 

[Guest]

maybe even try a very small peice of 2mm foam as an underbody....may give it just enough bouyancy to keep it in the film....I have had the same experience with tying foam patterns similiar to this and sometimes you have to re-think your approach just a bit....still a great looking fly, Will. May have to tie it in burnt orange and yellow for a nice floating stone....big gills in H' creek would love it!!!

[Guest]

My $.02

 

Buy the denser structured colored foam sheets at your craft store - they don't soak up much at all. Cut into appropriate size pieces for your pattern, whether thin Zonker-like strips, which could be wrapped around a hook shank, then overwrapped with body material, or used in a carapace/thorax application as this example shows.

[J Desjardins 0]

Will, I hate it when the water test fails.

 

Options not previously mentioned.

Get round foam balls, & a stocking then tie ala "Boobies".

Tie round Raineys float foam in like a dumb bell.

Double the thickness of the wing case.

 

The first time I saw this type of a pattern it was called "the thong" after where the foam came from, a beach shoe. They used a thick chunk wrapped in nylons, with the nylon tied down so that the foam wasn't compressed.

[Guest]

exactly the point I should have made, John....thanks for clarifying!

[grizzlyhackle 0]

When you tied it did you use a standard nymph hook? If you did, try a dry fly hook, the difference between the light wire hook and heavy wire hook may be all you need.