Red Fox Squirrel Nymph

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120x150 Fly Fishing

A great all purpose nymph

I learned to tie this fly over 20 years ago.  This fly could imitate mayfly nymphs, crane fly nymphs, and small bait fish.  It tied in the round.  Looks the same from any direction.  The guard hairs from the thorax make this fly look like it's moving.  If you want to see this fly in action, go to Delaware Valley Outdoors, caught a few brown trout while we were filming a fly fishing for wild trout segment on the South Branch of the Raritan in NJ.

Materials:
Hook:        Mustad 9671 sizes 8 - 12
Thread:      Brown 6/0 Prewax
Weight:       Fine to medium lead wire
Tail:           Body Fibers from a Red Fox Squirrel Nymph
Ribbing:     gold or silver fine tinsel (I used a silver holographic tinsel for this demo)
Abdomen:    Belly Fur from the Red Fox Squirrel (orange and tan color)
                    I mixed some UV pearl with the fur
Thorax:       Dark body fur from the Red Fox Squirrel (using a dubbing loop)
.

Step 1

 Attach brown thread to hook.

Step 2

 Attach lead wire to the hood shank

Step 3

 Eight Turns of the lead wire.

Step 4

 Secure the lead wire but don't cut it.  Wiggle it back and forth until it breaks.  Then bring the thread to the bend of the hook

Step 5

 Pull some fibers from the back of the red fox squirrel, get many guard hairs with the fur.  This will be the tail of the nymph.  The tail should be about a gap and a half long.

Step 6

 Using the pinch method secure the tail at the bend of the hook.

Step 7

 Secure the ribbing (tinsel) at the bend of the hook.

Step 8

 Apply Loon's High Tack SWAX Dubbing Wax the the thread.  This will help make a nice tight dubbing body.  You could also apply the wax to your fingertips instead of the thread.   

Step 9

  Just touch the wax to the thread.  Use very sparingly.  Then add the fur to the thread

Step 10

 .Just touch the fur the to the thread.  Then twist the fur in one direction.  The wax helps with the stiff body fur of the belly.  This will be the abdomen of the nymph.  I use a mixture of red fox squirrel belly fur and pearl UV dubbing.

Step 11

 Dub the abdomen, taper the body from the bend, increase the thickness as you move towards the eye of the hook.

Step 12

 Dub the body, stop at least 3/4 of the hook shank is for the abdomen.

Step 13

 Time to rib the fly.  I'm using a holographic silver tinsel.  Just to add a little sparkle.  You can use oval silver or gold fine tinsel.

Step 14

 Nice even wraps of the tinsel.  Tie off the tinsel and trim the excess.

Step 15

 Make a dubbing loop.  I use a button hook to make the loop.

Step 16

 Insert the fur from the red fox squirrel's back into the dubbing loop.

Step 17

 Twist the loop.  The fur will make a nice buggy dubbing noodle or dubbing brush.

Step 18

 Start wrapping the dubbing brush to form the thorax of the nymph.  The dubbing brush will give the illusion that the fly has legs.

Step 19

 Every time you make a wrap, stroke the fibers back to the bend of the hook

Step 20

 Wrap the fur to the eye.  Leave room for the whip finish.

Step 21

 Whip finish

Step 22

 The finished fly