Miller's Nymph

Hook:   Mustad #3906-B, 1XL, Size #6
Thread: Monocord, Orange, Waxed, Ray Rumph & Sons 
Tail:   Goose Biots, Orvis, #1543-00, Amber
Body:   Lead Wire, (.015)
Dubbing: Blend of natural Light Beaver, Muskrat, and Fly Rite #21 Light Gray 
Rib:    Monocond, Orange
Wing Case: Mottled Wild Turkey Feather (coated with Dave's Flexament) 
Legs:   3-4 turns of Brown Saddle Hackle, Hoffman, Super Saddle
Thorax: 3-4 Strands of Peacock Herl
Head:   Monocord, Orange

1. Debarb and sharpen hook as desired.
2. Lay a base of thread from the eye to the bend stopping just past the barb. Make a small bump of thread by criss-crossing with 6-8 thread wraps. Mount and tie on goose biots above the barb position and around the mounting bump. Secure down with 2-3 wraps and a single wrap under the biots to keep them spread out and from falling downwards.
3. Tie on lead wire (.015) at thread position and make 20-25 wraps (size #8 hook) forward to just before the eye and return with 10-12 wire wraps to form the thorax base. Snip wire off with your fingernail and turn the wire butt ends into the spiralís turns. Reinforce wire weighting with thread wraps back and forth over the body and thorax making graduated thread ramps before and after the thorax. Bring thread to rear of thorax ramp and let bobbin hang.
4. Touch the end of a dubbing wax tube and rub it between your thumb and digit finger to warm it and thin the wax out. Gently pull sparse strings of dubbing apart from the blended dubbing supply and twist on to tying thread with waxed thumb and digit finger tips. Wrap the dubbing noodle to a thickness a little heavier than the thorax and build the body rearwards to the tail. Start the ribbing at the tail position and make orange ribs (3-4 evenly spaced) throughout body by wrapping thread 6-8 times with consecutive tight turns on top of each other.
5. Cut a strip of mottled turkey feather (3/8" or 1/2 CM wide and 1 " long) and tie on at thorax with reverse (dull) side upwards. Tie in a brown saddle hackle sized to just below the gap, wet fly style (shiny side upwards). Select 3-4 peacock herls, even off and snip the coarse white ends. Lay peacock butts over thorax next to the hackle and tie down with 2-3 thread wraps. Select one of the herls and braid it around the remaining 2-3 herls to form a reinforced peacock rope. Build the thorax by wrapping the herl rope 5-6 times towards the eye. Tie off with 2-3 turns of thread. Trim excess peacock around the eye. Bring hackle forward 4-5 turns and tie off. Snip and trim around eye. Trim hackle barbs flat on top of thorax. Bring turkey feather wing case forward and hold snug while you tie it down with 2-3 thread wraps. Clip excess turkey butts. Form a large orange head with 6-8 turns of thread and whip finish.
6. Apply head cement to the wing case and around the head being careful not to let cement run on to the hackle. Pull hackle legs straight down below the nymph, trim errant fibers, and go fishiní!!

Notes

This fly was reported to be originally tied by Dave Miller who lived in the Great Smokies on the North Carolina side. It can be tied in sizes #6-#12 and is very effective fished around dark, deep pools bumping it along the bottom and along the rocks. As it resembles a crawfish at birth, the takes are fast and hard. My largest consistent trout catches have been with this fly tied in sizes #6 and #8 with lead paste applied 14"-18" up from the fly on 6í tapered leader to 5X tippets. It is an excellent nymph for fishing cold waters when there is a need to get a heavily weighted nymph down to dormant bottom feeders.

Ben Benoit, Nashville, TN (blbiii@aol.com)