Materials Needed for Montana Nymph Fly Patterns
- Hook – Size 12 to 8 Mustad 3906, B, wet nymph or sproat – 2x or 4x
- Thread – black 6/0
- Weighted – Optional lead body
- Bead Head – Optional
- Tail- black hackle
- Body – Black chenille or Orvis Crystal Antron
- Thorax –yellow chenille
- Wing Case – same as body
- Legs- black hackle
Montana Nymph Tying Instructions
- Wrap thread to the rear of the hook bend
- Tie in the tail material and secure it in place.
- Add the weight (optional 0.15 lead wire).
- Tie the body material. I like the Orvis Crystal Antron. It makes the body sparkle and flash.
- Wrap about two thirds of the hook and secure on top of the hook and fold it back. Do not cut off excess!! This will become your wing case later.
- Tie in (right where you stopped the body) a small black saddle hackle, tips first. The hackle will simulate legs.
- Tie in the yellow chenille or other color for the thorax.
- Wrap the chenille toward the eye and secure, cut off excess. Don’t crowd the eye of the hook !!
- Wrap black saddle hackles approximately two or three wraps over the thorax toward the eye.
- Keep the wraps as evenly spaced as you can. Secure and cut off excess.
- Remember the excess body material you secured on the top of the hook? Pull that material over top of the thorax to form the wing case and secure.
- Now you can cut the excess.
- Build a neat head tapering from the thorax to the eye and tie off.
About Montana Nymph Fly Patterns
The Montana Nymph Fly is a general all purpose nymph imitating Stone Flies and other nymphs on your local streams and rivers. It’s one of the best nymph flies to tie for beginners.
Don’t let the name Montana Nymph fly fool you. It’s not just useful for fishing out west. It works anywhere trout feed on nymphs, and all trout feed on nymphs. This pattern on my local streams works really well in the early season when the water temperature is cold and water levels are starting to rise.
Nymphing is an art in itself and a great way to produce fish. Whether you’re fishing close and high sticking or indicator fishing bouncing right along the bottom dead drift, the Montana Nymph fly will produce fish.
Another option is weighting the Montana nymph fly with a couple wraps of lead wire or using a bead head. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different thorax colors when you are trying out your nymph tying skills. You can use yellow, chartreuse, blood red, or even purple.
Tie some of these Montana Nymph fly patterns and I bet they will be an added bonus to your fly box.
Original Article By Brad Berlin
About The Author
Brad Berlin has been tying flies and fishing many of the local streams in the northeast, especially central Pennsylvania, for over 20 years. He guides on area streams and the Susquehanna River. Brad teaches classes in fly tying and casting. He enjoys fishing the tributaries of Lake Ontario in the fall.
