Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Gray Hen Hackle Wet; or Grey Nymph


Hook:

10-18
Thread:

Gray
Body:

Muskrat
Hackle:

Grizzly hen



Dave Hughes includes the Gray Hen Hackle Wet in the color plates that accompany the first edition of his Wet Flies (1995). To dress the fly, Hughes recommends:

“Hook: 2x stout, size 10-16.
Thread: Gray 6/0 or 8/0 nylon.
Hackle: Grizzle hen.
Body: Muskrat fur dubbing.”

Charles Brooks dressed a similar fly, the Grey Nymph, with a tail. He describes in the list of patterns he includes at the end of Nymph Fishing for Larger Trout (1976):

Tail: Badger hair.
Body: Neutral gray fur; muskrat or similar.
Hackle: Soft gray grizzly.
Thread: Black Nymo.”

The image in the color plates that precede the list depict a full-bodied, heavily-tail and –hackled Grey Nymph. Brooks notes that it is a “very simple but effective fly.” He might have added that it has likely been around for a long time, as evidence by other shaggy, modern patterns like Pat's Nymph.

8 comments:

  1. This is a great old pattern that worked very well. In today's age, it is great that blogs like yours are giving notice of some the great ones from the past. They should be tied and are still very effective!

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    Replies
    1. Tying the hackle in flymph fashion (as Hughes describes it) works well, too.

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  2. Thumbs up on this one.
    Love the body.

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  3. Awesome, stick to the basics I always say!
    Is there anyway to get in touch with you Neil, maybe I am just missing the contact page here...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You should be able to get in touch through my Google+ profile linked to the blog through my personal info

      Delete
  4. Looks like a nice March Brown pattern. Very nicely tied and photographed.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for that - this one will pass for a lot of things

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