Monday, October 10, 2011

Tying the Copper Beadhead Bird's Nest

Here's another tying video produced by our friend Tim Flagler at Tightline Productions.   I just tie the fly; Tim does the real work, and it always shows in the finished video.  Watch in full screen mode, the clarity Tim gets is incredible.

I had fished the Bird's Nest nymph on and off over the years with some success, and then one day back in the 90's, I was introduced to a bead head version. I was fishing the Beaverhead River in Montana with friend and guide, Cory Tumolo, and he was having success with a size 18, gold bead head Bird's Nest and offered me one. Shortly after tying it on, I was into one of those hard fighting browns the river is known for. In fact, for the next two days, it was my fly of choice when the trout decided not to rise. Since then, this fly in various sizes has occupied my nymph box - most of them being a copper bead head style, as that version has been the most consistent producer for me throughout the U.S.

On Northern California waters, it's the only bead head fly I fish.  And on my home waters of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, it's one of my go-to patterns when I have to fish subsurface.  It can fished alone, or in tandem with a smaller nymph trailing a size 12 or 14; I also will fish small Bird's Nests trailing a larger nymph.  It goes with out saying that this fly can also be trailed beneath a high floating dry fly to cover both surface and subsurface feeding trout. 

If you don't already fish this very effective nymph, I recommend you add some to your fly box, and use them with confidence.  The medium brown version shown here is the original color and most popular among fish and fishermen, but they also can be tied in olive, cream and dark brown.

And don't forget to check your hooks when you fish, and sharpen them when needed - you'll catch more fish. 

Go get 'em!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great tutorial and fly.

Anonymous said...

maybe you had a dull hook the other night LOL...

Matt Grobert said...

Thanks, George.

Anon - Not sure, but I have been testing the Dohiku hooks, and only fishing flies tied on them. The jury is still out.......

Anonymous said...

I've been using hooks with the straight eyelet. It helps my tying, by not crowding the eyelet, but I find I lose more fish. It's ok, as long as I tricked 'em....

It has always been my private conviction that any man who pits his intelligence against a fish and loses has it coming. ~John Steinbeck