Bird's Nest Fly, Just Wondering ...

[Randyflycaster 0]

Recently I read Ralph Cutter's fine book Fish Food. In the book he writes that one of his favorite patterns for imitating a caddis pupa is the Bird's Nest. He also writes that part of the success of Lafontaine's Sparkle Emerger is because it traps/creates air bubbles that reflect light; and so I'm wondering: What about tying the Bird's Nest's body with d-ribbing? Won't the fly then reflect light and better imitate a pupa than a fly tied with opossum?

 

Randy

[Bruce Norikane 0]

I think Ralph uses the same Bird's Nest to fish several stages of the caddis hatch. When he's imitating the ascending pupa, he rubs dry fly powder like Dry Shake into the nymph to trap air bubbles under the water.

 

http://www.flyline.com/fly_patterns/nymphs/birds_nest/

 

Cutter's photo of a Bird's Nest with desicant:

 

edit: Cutter also uses the desicant when he's imitating the adults laying eggs underwater.

[salmobytes 0]

Here's a Bird's Nest actually tied by Cal Bird. Courtesy of my fishing buddy Mark Freedman who lent it to me just long enough to photograph it.

 

http://montana-riverboats.com/?page=Photography/Fly-Tying/Cal-Bird

 

[Jaydub 0]

My thoughts are that it would be counter-productive. The dubbing also traps some air bubbles like LaFontaine's pattern. D-rib is not very reflective. If you want some sparkle, I would try ribbing the standard Bird's Nest with pearl or opal tinsel.

 

But you could try the D-rib body and let us know how it works.

[redietz 0]

I also think he's honoring a fellow Californian.

[Istripbuggers 0]

Apperently, this fly was designed by cal bird for my home waters the truckee river. This is also one of my favorite caddis patterns but I particularly like it in olive. I think what I like about the pattern most is the fact that is is very subdued, most new caddis patterns have a lot of flash in them. When the water is as clear as it is on the truckee flash does nothing but spook fish. Also I like the simplicity of the tie, very easy to knock out a bunch in one tying session.

-Miles

[planettrout 0]

The late Ed Story, who started Feather Craft, was the first to suggest dusting Frog's Fanny on sub surface patterns to imitate the reflective bubble on emerging and diving Caddis - (the females that return to lay their eggs on rocks or vegetation). Here is the original pattern and a number of variants that are used in the Eastern Sierras. The double bead version was created by Greg Vinci and the Assassin by Tom Loe...Greg is mentored by Ralph Cutter...

 

http://stevenojai.tripod.com/birdnest.htm

 

The idea of imitating the trapped gas in the emerging Caddis also led to the development of several other patterns...

 

Greg Vinci's Gas Caddis:

 

https://planettrout.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/dscn7487gas1_1.jpg

 

Greg Vinci's X-Ray Caddis:

 

http://stevenojai.tripod.com/xraycad.htm

 

...and Rick Fox's Radical Caddis:

 

http://stevenojai.tripod.com/radcad.htm

 

 

PT/TB

[Randyflycaster 0]

Thanks so much for all the help. I never used Frog's Fanny. How often do I have to apply it when I'm fishing the Bird's Nest?

 

Randy

[planettrout 0]

Thanks so much for all the help. I never used Frog's Fanny. How often do I have to apply it when I'm fishing the Bird's Nest?

 

Randy

Hold it underwater at yer' feet and see if the bubble is still there...that's a good indication if more is needed...

 

PT/TB

[vicrider 0]

This is a pattern that was developed from a guy watching the diving of a (something) from the surface down to the bottom to lay eggs. Can't remember which critter it was but he noticed there was always a flash from the air bubble that accompanied it. Designed this fly and some of the guys using it say it deadly at the right time, which is true about a lot of flies. It's a foil wrapped body with partridge tail feathers tied in back and pulled over top and bottom leaving sides to roll and flash.

 

[barrytheguide 0]

Here's a Bird's Nest actually tied by Cal Bird. Courtesy of my fishing buddy Mark Freedman who lent it to me just long enough to photograph it.

 

http://montana-riverboats.com/?page=Photography/Fly-Tying/Cal-Bird

 

I've using the Birds Nest on the Sac as a guide for over twenty years. I had some originals tied by Cal, but the later commercial versions were somewhat different, the dubbing was Paxton's Buggy Nymph with a gold rib. The dubbing was nice and scaggerly and seems to work better when combed back. It's often fished with a gold bead head. Works all year round with a number 14 being the favorite size.

Bazzer

[JoeBillingsley 0]

I think the Bird's Nest is an extremely underrated and under used fly. It works and I believe its messy appearance contributes to its effectiveness. . Tying it with D-Rib as a body material might "clean" it up and make it less effective.

 

Joe

[flytire 0]

tying it with d-rib or any other like materials would make it similar to barrs graphic caddis

[wschmitt3 0]

The birds nest was one of the first flies I ever tied I cant believe I dont have a picture of it on my computer. I tied a dozen and a half Red Fox Squirrel Nymphs and about the same number of Bird's Nests about a week after I started tying and I could swear I had a bunch of pictures of them on my computer. Its funny because I remember I wasn't particularly happy with them because I felt like my thread head extended to far back on the hook shank but cal bird's was just as big if not bigger.

 

With that said the Birds Nest is a very good fly. I have taken quite a few on it but I say stick to the original. Adding a d-rib is too much of a deviation from a very successful original pattern. But a fly with d-rib a some legs and a dubbing head could take some fish. I tied up an experimental pattern like that (variation of other patterns) for this summer see below.

 

I have a few with a bead but beyond that I try to stick to the original.

 

Edit - The last series I tied were tied with light olive Squirrel SLF and an olive Hungrian Partridge tail and hackle. The hackle tied in backwards so it flares out not in.

[whatfly 0]

Here's a Bird's Nest actually tied by Cal Bird. Courtesy of my fishing buddy Mark Freedman who lent it to me just long enough to photograph it.

 

http://montana-riverboats.com/?page=Photography/Fly-Tying/Cal-Bird

 

 

Salmobytes: Can you confirm that the tail and wing is dyed mallard? I thought that Bird used wood duck, and that the dyed mallard was used as a subsitute later, but those feathers look way too webby to be wood duck.

 

Contrary to Barrytheguide's experiences, I've always found the Bird's Nest to work best (in the waters) when tied thinnly like the original version above, which is typical. I rarely tie it with as large a wing as the one above, but maybe I should start.

 

As far as the OP's original question, you could try DRib to see if it works, but I seriously doubt it will alter the effectiveness of the pattern.