Trout Nova Scotia - Fly patterns

THE WIGGLE NYMPH by Reg Baird

The Wiggle Nymph is certainly not a new concept in fly tying as it appeared in Swisher and Richards Fly Fishing Strategy back in 1975. However, like a lot of other readers of the book, I was more impressed with the still-born patterns and paid little attention to the Wiggle Nymph.
The first time I ever tried a Wiggle Nymph pattern I was fishing with Shirley Woods (author of Angling for Atlantic Salmon and originator of the well known Rogers Fancy Salmon fly) and he gave me one of his patterns to try. I immediately caught a fish and have been a Wiggle Nymph fan ever since.
The following week whilst catching, tagging and releasing fish for the Kejimkujik National Park Brook Trout Study, the Wiggle Nymph accounted for almost 70% of the trout I tagged during that period.
Why does the Wiggle Nymph work? Well, if you have never taken the time to observe the action of a real nymph rising to the surface, do so next spring. Stir up the bottom with a stick and watch as the sediment clears. It is a unique swimming action whereby the nymphs seem to be hinged in the middle .... and therein lies the answer.
The Wiggle Nymph can be tied in any pattern and in any size, so the choice is yours. The following pattern is for a Green Drake Wiggle Nymph on a size 10 hook.

Tail Section :
Hook: Mustad 94840 size 14
Thread: Cream
Tail: Lemon Wood duck barbules
Body: Cream dubbing fur. Remove hook from vise and cut the barb off at the bend with cutting pliers.
Thread the eye with a piece of beading wire.

Body Section :
Hook: Mustad 94840 Size 10
Thread: Cream
Tail: Attach the tail section by tying the looped beading wire along top of hook shank.
Body: Cream dubbing fur.
Wing Case: Lemon wood duck feather Legs: Lemon wood duck feather barbules

THE MICKEY FINN by Gary Corbett

The Mickey Finn is a bucktail wet fly named after Dr. Drake of New Orleans fame. Drake invented a potent drink combination consisting of liquor and a narcotic to render one unconscious. The fly pattern is said to have been originated by John Alden Knight, a Canadian made famous for inventing the Solunar Tables in the 1930s. Whatever the real story, there is no doubt that the flash of red and yellow bucktail over a silver tinsel body makes this fly one of the most potent fish takers ever invented.

Hook: Mustad 9575 or TMC 300 in sizes 2 - 12
Body: Flat silver tinsel
Ribbing: Fine oval silver tinsel
Wing: Bottom layer - yellow bucktail
- middle layer - red bucktail
- top layer - yellow bucktail
Thread: Black silk, monocord or nylon

THE HORNBERG by Tom Lee

You can tie this with or without the jungle cock. Guinea fowl can be used as a substitute. I tie this so it can be used for salmon fishing in the autumn as well.

Hook: 4 or 6, 2x or 3x long
Head: Black
Body: Silver tinsel
Underwing: Yellow calf or bucktail
Wing: A pair of matched grey mallard breast or flank feathers, one on each side
Cheeks: Jungle Cock
Collar: Grizzly hackle

THE MAPLE SYRUP with Tom Lee

As a commercial fly-tyer it is always a challenge to balance demand with inventory and predict what flies are going to sell the best.
The development of a "new" pattern is even more difficult. In fact many tyers don't bother and relegate new and effective patterns to their own use. There are hundreds of flies out there that remain secret and guarded like Fort Knox. To divulge the recipe of one such pattern might be grounds for...well, you can just imagine.
I came across a pattern a few years ago while fishing in Baxter State Park, Maine that I had not heard of before. The park warden that introduced the fly to me gave me a bit of a history and suggested I go and meet the originator, who operated a fly shop just outside the park. After a few visits and several telephone conversations, the author of the Maple Syrup Nymph, Alvin Theriault and I have become friends. And contrary to popular opinion, Alvin would like the news of the Maple Syrup to spread. As a fellow commercial tyer he believes it will be good for business, and he's probably correct.
I have experimented with this fly over the last two seasons and it is responsible for the largest Nova Scotia trout I caught in the 2002 season, and for several dozen caught in Newfoundland. This pattern has also been known to catch brown trout and landlocked salmon on a regular basis. Officially the Maple Syrup is a nymph pattern, but it can also be fished as a streamer making it all the more versatile.

Hook: 8 or 10 Mustad 3665A
Thread: Black
Tail: Yellow calf tail or calf body hair
Body: Size 2 Danville Rayon chenille No. 41 Beige (tie the chenille thick for best results)

THE EDSON DARK TIGER BUCKTAIL by Tom Lee

I think it's a given that if you were permitted only one fly in your box it would probably be the versatile and effective Muddler Minnow, but what comes in second?
I have given it a lot of thought, and for me it's the Edson Dark Tiger Bucktail. This streamer pattern is especially effective in the spring for brook trout and in the autumn for trout and salmon. It was originated by Mr. William R. Edson of Portland, Maine, in 1929. It is one of the most famous of all bucktails for trout and salmon (Atlantic and Land Locked).
What I like most about the Edson Dark Tiger Bucktail is its ease and simplicity in tying. I've found this fly very effective in Nova Scotia's trout waters and you should too.

Hook: Extra Long Streamer Hook (5X - 6X)
Head: Yellow
Tag: 3 or 4 turns of narrow flat gold tinsel
Tail: The tips of two extremely small yellow neck hackles, back to back
Body: Wound with fine yellow chenille
Throat: The tips of two extremely small red neck hackles (to simulate gills)
Wing: A small bunch of the brown hair from a bucktail dyed yellow, extending just beyond the end of the hook.
Cheeks: Jungle Cock, extremely short, use only the eye.

THE ZONKER STRIP MUDDLER by Pat Donoghue

This pattern was shown to me about three years ago by a friend, and he'd gotten it from a fly-fisherman he was talking to in Fishin' Fever (I can well imagine the lies that were told that day). It is basically the same fly as Martin Joergensen's Nutria Muddler. The first time I saw it in action it hooked a nine inch and two ten inch brookies. Later that year it hooked close to sixty brookies one day on the Noreast Brook in Newfoundland (I wasn't counting but my guide was. I'm thinking he's a bigger liar than I am). It's a fly that can be used all season and for all species of trout.

Tying instructions:
The first thing I do is bend down the barb. I'm one of those that likes to have a clean shank for spinning deer hair so I start the thread about a quarter of the way from the eye. Tie in the ribbing material. Tie in the body material so that the thread is back at the start point. Lay the zonker strip on top of the body material and throw a couple of loose loops over the fur (not through it). Pull the zonker strip through the loose loops until the desired length is met. Tighten the loops and throw on a few more loops to secure the strip. Cut off the excess zonker strip. Run the ribbing material through the zonker strip the way you would tie a matuka style fly, and without trapping the fur (two to three turns should be enough). Tie in and cut off the excess rib. I like to build up the thread at this point to give a gill opening impression (which is why I use red thread) and apply some cement. You could also use brown thread and create the gill opening with red wool. Spin a muddler head and tie off. Trim the head, flat on the bottom and sloping on the top and sides. Thin out the collar if it's too thick.

I've found that if the strip overhangs the end of the hook too far the little fellers will likely snap at it and you'll get a lot of hits but no fish. Plus they'll rip the fur right off the skin. On the other hand a nine incher will take it with a smash. It's sort of trial and error as far as length goes. The other thing is that you might need some weight to get it down a bit. A cone head is ideal for this, or you can wrap the hook shank with some weighty material. Colors can be varied, this year I'm thinking about trying a yellow body, brown wing, Dark Edson Tiger combination. And with a gold cone head up front I'll guarantee it'll catch fish.

Fish it in rivers the same way as you would a normal muddler, down and across, and in slow or still waters wiggle the end of your rod while working the retrieve. And be prepared for the kind of savage hit that makes the heart pound and leaves you wondering if your waders leak.

Basic Pattern :

Hook : #6 to a #10 x 4 (Mustad 79580)
Thread : Red
Body : Silver or gold
Rib : Strong silver or gold.
Wing : White or natural zonker strip (not with the grey underfur and not crosscut). It's nice if you can find full-bodied strips that have dark tips to the guard hair or darker ends on the underfur. Of course you could always add a touch of darker colour (maybe brown or olive) by tying in a pinch of rabbit fur over the top (I'd tie it in after I'd run the rib through).
Head : Spun deer hair, trimmed to shape.

	FLY PATTERNS
	TNS - Conserving Nova Scotia's Trout