Montana nymph – Chatto’s variant

 

Based on the Montana nymph which was developed in the earlier days of fly fishing in Montana America as an imitation for a stone fly. It has two distinct uses. The first is as a bait fly when fished behind a bead head nymph in faster rivers and streams. The second use is as as a middle dropper fly in a team of lock style flies in still water where the the flash of red, yellow, orange or pink in the thorax it make it a great attractor pattern.

Materials

 

Hook Thread Tail Rib Under-body Body Wing Casing Thorax
6 to 10 long shank Black Black cock hackle fibres Silver wire 4 ply wool Seals fur Scud back Seals Fur

Process

 

A
  1. Wind the thread from the 95% position to the bend of the hook.
  2. Tie in a tail of hackle fibres. I think the best hackle fibres are those that in the transition zone just above the filo-plume of the hackle. They tend to be softer than the fibres on the main part of the hackle and consequently impart more movement when the fly is fished.
  3. Tie in a length of silver wire
  4. Tie in a length of 4 ply wool

 

B
  1. Wind the 4 ply wool forward and backward creating a neat under-body.
  2. Tie the mohair wool off and trim the excess.

 

C
  1. Using the single strand method of dubbing dub a thin seals fur body over the back half of the fly.

 

D
  1. Wind the silver wire forward creating 3 or 4 segments in the rear half of the fly.
  2. At the half way point tie in a length of scud back.

 

E
  1. Dub a thin seals fur body over the thorax area of the fly.
  2. Pull the scud back over the top of the thorax and tie it off at the 95% position creating a wing casing.

 

F
  1. Tie the wing casing off just behind the eye of the hook and trim the excess.
    Build up a neat head of thread.
  2. Whip finish the thread, trim the thread and varnish the head and the wing casing.

 



Last Updated: January 27, 2011
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Categories: Flies, My 'trout' lake wet fly box, Nymphs
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