I came up with this fly a few weeks ago. It came about through several ideas that I had. I like the look of a wingcase that extends over the back of a nymph similar to Sloans Mighty May but I wanted it to be soft and gummy feeling to the fish. I think that fish tend to hold onto a fly a little longer if it’s not too hard feeling and has a little bite. I had these rubber legs around from when I was tying rubber leg princes a few years ago. This fly has produced very well for me in the last few weeks wading on low water on the South Holston. Fish ate this fly 3-1 over a split case nymph which says a whole lot of it’s effectiveness. If it works on this river it will most likely work anywhere mayfly nymphs are very prevalent. The fly has a lot going for it in the trigger department. The rubber tails which are split kick back and forth in the current and when the fly is sinking down. The segmented abdomen makes it look very realistic with the d rib. I recommend you tie some up to fish on the South Holston or for your home waters.

Crusader Nymph

by Josh McFadden

TMC 9300 #16
3/32 Tungsten Bead
Black 8/0 Thread
Micro Centipede Legs for Tails
Small Vinyl D-Rib
Brown Muskrat Dubbing
Partridge Legs
Black 1/8 inch Scudback

Split Case Nymph

This pattern has become a standard for anyone that fishes the East Tennessee Tailwaters. We have very prolific Sulphur/PMD hatches that last half of the year. The original split case pattern, developed for western rivers has made it’s way over to East Tennessee, but it calls for biots pulled over foam which are usually not durable and difficult to tie with. We have tweeked the pattern over the last few years and this is the current version I’ll be using as sulphur season is just around the corner. I’ve been needing to get a head start on tying them up.

Hook: TMC 9300 #14-18

Bead:Copper or Black Tungesten bead to size

Thread: 14/o Griffith’s Brown

Tail: Wood Duck Flank

Abdomen: DMC Dark Brown Embroidery Thread 2 strands

Wing Case: Black 1/4 inch scud back cut with scissors or xacto knife

pulled over very thin yellow razor foam.

Thorax: DMC Dark Brown Embroidery Thread 2 strands

Legs: Lemon Dyed Mallard Flank Fibers

Top View

Tie some of these up and you will be rewarded in the coming months.

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Hot Spot Copperhead

Hook: TMC 3761

Bead: Copper Tungsten bead

Thread: 8/0 Black Uni-thread

Tail: Coq-de-Leon Fibers

Abdomen: Small brown or black vinyl rib

Wingcase: Black Scud Back

Thorax: Sulphur Orange Dubbing

This is a very effective searching fly that is pretty close to indestructible. It has a very slender profile and good segmentation and the tungsten bead to drive it to work.

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BH Pheasant Tail

Hook: Any Nymph Hook will do

Bead: Tungsten or Brass (Brass, Copper, Silver, Black)

Tail/Abdomen/ Wing case/Legs Pheasant Tail Fibers

Rib: Copper Wire (Any Color)

Thorax: Peacock Herl

Another popular variation on the fly is the flashback pheasantail nymph. This fly is a great searching pattern not just for the tailwaters here but for anywhere. It is so buggy that it could be just about any bug. Most of the nymphs that we fish today are just variations of a pheasantail nymph. The Flashback Pheasantail Nymph is one of my go to flies even when we are out competition fishing with the North Carolina Fly Fishing Team.

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Micro-Mayfly

Hook: TMC 2488, 2487, 2457

Bead: Tungsten Bead (Brass, Copper, Nickel, Black)

Thread: Brown 8/0 Uni-thread

Tail: Pheasant Tail Fibers

Abdomen: Stripped Peacock Quill

Rib: Copper Wire (color to match)

Wingcase: Pheasant tail with flashback

Thorax: Olive Dubbing

This fly is just a smaller version of a pheasant tail. Once you step down into these small sizes, you don’t want the buld-up of the abdomen that pheasant-tail gives you. So you substitute a stripped peacock quill and we’re back to a slender abdomen concept with good segmentation. A very good pattern for any type of baetis fly. This is a fly I have on my line for most of the winter.

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Nymph Samples