desmobob
Well-known member
I have been enjoying some float tube fishing for panfish on a local lake this spring. I've done well with the usual flies: Bully Bluegill Spiders, Wooly Buggers and small old-style streamers.
When I was finning around in the shallow water, I was kicking up bits of milfoil, coontail, etc. I noticed something wriggling at the surface, turning itself into a U-shape from one side to the other. It was a damselfly nymph, olive in color. I put on a similarly-colored small wooly bugger and continued catching fish. In a lot of cases, I'd feel a couple of pecks before hooking up.
I then tied on an olive damselfly nymph. I tied them using olive marabou for the whole fly. I leave a bit of the tips sticking out the back to represent the gills, then twist the marabou fibers around the tying thread as dubbing to make the body. I use small black dumbbell eyes and a fine copper wire rib. Quick and easy. The bluegills and perch were crushing this fly. No more pecking, just swallowing. It was noticeable that the majority of the fish were taking it deep.
The problem is, the fly lacks durability. I just tied up a new batch using the same short olive marabou tuft for gills, but used olive micro ultra chenille for the body with a rib of fine olive brown Swannundaze and the same black dumbbell eyes. I used olive Hares Ear Plus dubbing for the thorax/head. They look a little fatter than I'd like, but I'm hoping they'll be as effective and more durable than my other pattern. I'll be looking for a more durable substitute for the gills, and may tie some nymphs using one of the fine plastic tubings or laces for the ribbed body.
I caught a lot of big 'gills in close to the shoreline and, later on, caught some big yellow perch off deeper weedbeds using an intermediate line with the same nymphs.
Damselfly nymphs aren't much harder to tie than the other popular bluegill flies and seem to work better for me. If you haven't tried them, give them a shot and see if you notice more positive takes and more fish.
Tight lines,
Bob
When I was finning around in the shallow water, I was kicking up bits of milfoil, coontail, etc. I noticed something wriggling at the surface, turning itself into a U-shape from one side to the other. It was a damselfly nymph, olive in color. I put on a similarly-colored small wooly bugger and continued catching fish. In a lot of cases, I'd feel a couple of pecks before hooking up.
I then tied on an olive damselfly nymph. I tied them using olive marabou for the whole fly. I leave a bit of the tips sticking out the back to represent the gills, then twist the marabou fibers around the tying thread as dubbing to make the body. I use small black dumbbell eyes and a fine copper wire rib. Quick and easy. The bluegills and perch were crushing this fly. No more pecking, just swallowing. It was noticeable that the majority of the fish were taking it deep.
The problem is, the fly lacks durability. I just tied up a new batch using the same short olive marabou tuft for gills, but used olive micro ultra chenille for the body with a rib of fine olive brown Swannundaze and the same black dumbbell eyes. I used olive Hares Ear Plus dubbing for the thorax/head. They look a little fatter than I'd like, but I'm hoping they'll be as effective and more durable than my other pattern. I'll be looking for a more durable substitute for the gills, and may tie some nymphs using one of the fine plastic tubings or laces for the ribbed body.
I caught a lot of big 'gills in close to the shoreline and, later on, caught some big yellow perch off deeper weedbeds using an intermediate line with the same nymphs.
Damselfly nymphs aren't much harder to tie than the other popular bluegill flies and seem to work better for me. If you haven't tried them, give them a shot and see if you notice more positive takes and more fish.
Tight lines,
Bob