Nymph Skin Pupa

Created by Leif Ehnstrom

I like my pupas somewhat heavy, and I therefore like to use the Nymph-Head™ heavy Metal tungsten beads. The Nymph Skin makes a soft bodied fly that the fish can chew on a little. Fish it free drift in rapids and try to get the fly deep by mending the line.

Materials:

Hook:                            Partridge Czech Nymph Hook size #12

Thread:                         Semperfli Nano Silk, light olive

Head:                            Baetis Green-Olive Nymph-Head™ Heavy Metal tungsten bead

Body:                            Nymph Skin tanned with green marker

Thorax:                         SLF Squirrel dubbing dark olive

Collar:                           Just under thorax, hen saddle as false hackle

Wingbuds:                    Medallion sheeting or similar material

Tying Instructions:

Step 1:

Take the hook and glue the bead by the hook eye.

Step 2:

Tie in the thread and the Nymph Skin for the abdomen. The skin should have an undercolor in light green olive.

Step 3:

Wind the Nymph Skin in overlapping turns up the hook. Change the tension so the most bump is at the rear part of the abdomen. Tie in a few millimeters from the bead.

Step 4:

Now burn the wingbuds from Medallion sheeting or similar using a stonefly burner from Tiemco in the proper size. You can of course use anoter burner. Tie in the buds each side of the abdomen, reaching about half the abdomen

Step 5:

Dub almost the whole thorax.

Step 6:

Take a saddle feather, preferably tinted in olive, and cut the tip off.

Step 7:

Hold the feather underneath the fly – just a few of the herls- so that there are herls on both side of the hook. Place a couple of loose turns of the thread over the hackle stem.

Step 8:

Pull the hackle gently until you’ve just passed the stem end. Tie in and cut the butts. You have now got a bunch of legs on the pupa.

Step 9:

Now add some more dubbing and tie in – if you like – a pair of antennas. You can use almost anything but Elk hair is nice. Brush the thorax a little and trim the top. A dot of color for the eyes and the pupa is ready to catch…