Chadwicks Soft Hackle Nymph

[letumgo 0]

A new addition to the fly pattern database has been submitted by letumgo:

 

Chadwicks Soft Hackle Nymph

 

[letumgo 0]

This fly is an adaptation the famous Frank Sawyer Killer Bug nymph pattern. I have used the copper wire as an underbody to give the pattern weight and help form the taper of the body. The pattern is very easy to tye (see instructions below):

 

TYING INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Mount hook in vice

2) Wrap a single layer of small copper wire around the shank of the hook. The wraps should cover approximately one-third (1/3rd) of the hook shank. Clip off the exess wire and then use your finger nails to pack the wraps together tightly (close toughing turns). Slide the wire core up towards the front of the hook shank, but leave roughly one-eighth inch (~3 mm) to leave room for the head.

3) Mount your tying thread just behind the eye of the hook. Make only five wraps, to minimize thread bulk.

4) Prepare a partridge feather by stripping off the fuzz at the base of the feather. Tye in the feather by the stem. Leave a little bit of unhackled stem showing to make wrapping easier later.

5) Wind the tying thread gently over the copper core, and form a shall thread ramp at the back edge of the wire. Wind the thread back to the front of the copper underbody. Special note - Using gentle thread wraps helps prevent the tying thread from forcing its way between the wraps of copper wire. The thread ramp at the back of the wire will help keep the wire in place and also help form the taper of the body.

6) Tye in the Chadwicks wool yarn over the top of the body. Firmly wrap the tying thread to the barb of the hook and back to the front of the body.

7) Wrap the wool yarn forward forming the body. Secure it with a couple turns of tying thread and trim off the excess.

8) Grasp the tip of the partridge feather in hackle pliers and fold the hackle fibers to one side. Wrap the hackle back towards the tying thread. One or two wraps should be adequate.

9) Secure the hackle by winding the tying thread though the hackle fibers.

10) Form a small head and whip-finish. Clip off the thread and add a small drop of head cement.

[PetterG 0]

I like

 

Bet that's just as good as the original!

 

Although an expensive fly with the chadwicks yarn, to bad the recipe for that dye got missing!

 

Good tie! Love to see more!

 

Petter

[mvendon 0]

Hi Ray,

 

Your nymphs look just great! I just have to ask, if you lose one or two or three on a rock or a piece of wood/submerged tree, are you gonna cringe? I'll have to share my pic's of all the smallmouth that I've caught on Bali duck streamers in Schoharie creek the past couple of seasons!

 

Regards,

Mark

[letumgo 0]

Mark - It can get frustrating at times, but I don't worry about loosing flies. These soft hackles simple to tye, making them perfect fishing flies. My answer is completely different for streamers tyed with Bali Duck feathers. I tyed a "Galloping Ghost" Bert Quimby streamer using a pair of matched Bali Duck feathers (graciously given to me by another member :punk: ). I treasure this fly and have it saved in a Riker Box above my tying desk. That fly will never be fished. I think it is so cool that you have fished bali streamers. Color me jealous. :crying: I'd love to see your photos.

 

Thanks Petter.

[mvendon 0]

Hi Ray,

 

I was just being facetious about the Bali duck streamers. I've hardly even got out to fish the last two years! I enjoy watching what cards of Chadwick's end up going for on eBayUK. The last one that wasn't available worldwide that I noticed, went for a mere $80.00 USD a month or two ago on their mainstream page. I don't read all that many posts about someone tying up a bunch of flies over here that uses it. Most of the time, you just read how close a good substitute compares. Baikal Teal doesn't come up nearly as often as Chadwick's does, and I've never seen it on eBay outside of the US.

 

Regards,

Mark

[letumgo 0]

80 bucks for yarn?!!! That's crazy. Now I understand Petter's comment. I bough my yarn years ago for around $3. I guess I should be using a substitute...

[Mickalo 0]

Hey Ray,

 

very nice variation on a classic, great fly ... easy too

 

a while back someone here, I don't recall who, lead me to a great alternative yarn to use when tying the

Sawyer Killer Nymph pattern. Here is a link to the site:

 

http://www.yarnbarn.com/yarn/colorcard.asp...tNo=KY-JAM-SSSP

 

The Jamieson Simply Shetland Spindrift "Sand" yarn, #183, is very close the original. Might want to it out.

 

Mike

[john adams 0]

Nice soft hackle fly with wool socks ,made by F. Sawyer's Killer Bug .

Best Ray

[letumgo 0]

Thanks for the link, Mike. There are a number of different colors of yarn that look useful on that site.

 

Thanks John.

[lykos33 0]

Beautiful, as usual....

[letumgo 0]

I added a few extra photos to the pattern database showing a side-by-side comparison of the dry and wet fly. The fly gets significantly darker when it gets wet. Interestingly, the shade of the fly looks different on different background and different amounts of light (see photos above). The wet body is a warm mottled neutral brown (hows that for a meaningless description). It seem like it would imitate a range of different insects. I wonder if that is why the original "Killer Bug" pattern works so well.