#24 Muskrat Nymph

[DUBBN 0]

It's a lot easier to cut a tail off at the river than it is to add one.

[Red Owl 0]

Well I must admit I am sort of a bells and whistles type but I am told a lot of stoneflies fold back their antennae(sic?) while swimming, caddis hold their legs in against their body and have no tails. so I guess we all may be adding things that aren't needed. I'm told on very small nymphs the tails keep the fly from sinking more quickly.

On the thread. if I use thread for the body- should it be plain thread used in tying the fly or a thicker cotton type thread. On a thicker thread I am thinking the thread itself would look segmented, unless there is something negative about cotton thread. Then a bit of black for the head.

I've never caught a trout on a really small fly, off hand, seems unbelievable.

[flytire 0]

 

the yong special uses sewing thread for the body

 

cotton thread - yes you can use it and tyers will tell you it degrades when wet but they will never tell you how long it takes. if that was the case all of our cotton clothes would be a pile of lint after washing

 

so tie some flies up with whatever thread you want, fish them and see what happens

 

Fly tyers can be masters of making things complicated!

[carlp5351 0]

I think the pattern he is referring to is from Roger Hills Book Fly Fishing The South Platte River, An Anglers Guide. This is the first book I ever owned as a fly fisherman. The book was published in 1991. The pattern is called Muskrat Nymph. The material list and description is quoted right from the book.

 

Muskrat Nymph

Hook: TMC100 #20-#26

Thread: Gray

Body: Muskrat Fur, Very sparse

 

"Build up thorax with tying thread, sparsely dub thread, and wind onto hook. Whip finish and cement. This is my kind of fly."

[DUBBN 0]

Hi. I am in the east but headed out to Colorado and will hit a variety of streams. I read that a #24 muskrat nymph is sometimes a good choice on the S. Platte. I'm not sure whether muskrat fur is essential on this fly. Would any other substitutes be okay?

Cottontail Rabbit under fur does just as good as Muskrat (in my opinion). That being said, I have an easier time finding Muskrat fur.

[Red Owl 0]

Yes, it was the Roger Hills book. It looks like a few similar patterns ought to work equally well. My original worry was whether muskrat fur had some unusual quality that I was unaware of which mandated its use.

Well my vise doesn't hold a #24 very well so I put the hook in hemostats and the hemostats in a vise and then set up a magnifying glass so I can see what I'm doing and VOILA I guess I'm set to go. I wish I was better at photography so I could post some photos when I'm done.

[Crackaig 0]

If it is the under fur of the muskrat you are looking at using then mole would be perfect for tiny flies. Similar colour and the same texture in much shorter lengths. Also no guard hairs to pick out.

 

As always as a pattern gets smaller it should get simpler. There is no room for all the bells and whistles you would put on a #10.

 

It is possible, not easy, but possible, to strip the flue off a peacock herl and dub it. That may be the answer to a peacock thorax on a #24.

 

#24 Dubbed mole and peacock. Hackle fibre over peacock. (Sorry about the quality of the photo. #24 is pushing the limits of my macro set up.)

Cheers,

C.

[vicrider 0]

A size 24 Royal Wullf can be a killer at times.

[Red Owl 0]

Well I finally tied up two last night. On the first #24 I did it "the regular way, the body and then two wraps of peacock herl at the thorax. The Herl sort of protruded over the hook's eye and I had trouble trying to get the tippet through the eye. What to do? The hook is so small on the next one I did the herl first, so as to insure the eye area was exposed and then I did the abdomen area and did the wraps over the abdomen. On a normal fly this might be a problem but the #24 is so small that the wraps went down okay. I looked at both under a magnifying glass, looked okay. Was almost inclined to eat them myself

[flytire 0]

Whatever works for you

[Bruce Norikane 0]

Yes, it was the Roger Hills book. It looks like a few similar patterns ought to work equally well. My original worry was whether muskrat fur had some unusual quality that I was unaware of which mandated its use.

 

The Roger Hill Muskrat Nymph is a proven pattern and totally simple to tie - just thread and dubbing. BTW - that's the perfect book for fishing the two great and tough stretches of the S. Platte - Cheeseman Canyon and the Dream Stream.

 

Muskrat is quite cheap and easy to find, but I'd use any fine, soft, grey dubbing. Grey underfur is probably preferred, but I wouldn't exclude a fine poly like Super Fine.

Here's a tutorial from a Colorado tier:

http://cpsflyfishingandflytying.blogspot.com/2010/11/fly-fishing-south-platte-river-anglers.html

 

 

If you find the muskrat, tie some Hill's Stillborn Midge's in 24 or 26. Here's Ed Engle, another S. Platte, tiny fly guru, tying one:

 

https://vimeo.com/16297954

[noahflyfisher 0]

I second the size 18 to 24 pheasant tail notion.