Morristone Type Nymph

Detailed instructions may be found in The Art of Tying the Nymph by Skip Morris, pp. 33-36

Hook:   heavy wire, 3 X to 6X long, sizes 10-6. These are tied on a Mustad 79580 size 8.
Thread: brown 6/0
Weight: if wanted. Mine are unweighted.
Tail:   Skip Morris uses the brown hen saddle hackle tip. I use brown V rib or mono tied in as a V tail.
Rib:    V rib or dyed brown monofilament (15-30 pound test monofilament or invisible thread, dark, dyed with Rit, size dependent upon size of nymph. Copper wire also works great.
Body:   light or dark brown and gray and black, usually wool or Antron brushed out with Velcro brush after fly is completed.
Wing case: pheasant tail fibers with dark side showing.
Head:   brown dubbing, rabbit is good.

1. With hook in vise, add weight if desired.
2. Make small dubbing ball, tie in V rib in V style or pheasant saddle tip.
3. Tie in rib.
4. Tie in yarn, about 4 inch strip, for body.
5. Move thread to shank distance, tie in pheasant tail fibers, about #194# inch on a size 8 hook, with dark side down and pointing back. Tie in piece of saddle, curved side up, pointing backward. This will flip over and become the legs.
6. Move thread to eye, pull wingcase and leg feathers forward and with two gentle, loose wraps secure them down. This is temporary while you wrap body and rib.
7.Wind yarn or dub fur onto thread and make body and thorax letting up fibers for wingcase and legs as needed to complete body. Tie off.
8. Wind V rib, invisible thread or dark mono forward trying to get at least 5 wraps before wing case start, 3 after it. This reinforces body and makes the segments.
9. Bring the hen hackle flatly down over the thorax and tie down, trim end.
10. Bring pheasant fibers down, secure and trim ends. Dub a modest head. Tie off.
11. You can slit the leg feather to make four legs if you want, or you can leave it as it is. The fish seem not to care.
12. Add a drop of head cement to head wraps, V rib or pheasant tail tie in point and over the top of the wing case. Let dry. Fish.

They are best if fished with sinking tip or a bit of sink putty ahead of it about 10-12 inches. These are also great tied in off white, really light gray and even a light chartreuse green.

Joyce Westphal (westphal@burgoyne.com)