Nick Thomas does it again and comes up with another thought-provoking fly pattern
Inspiration for a new fly design can come from the strangest places. One Sunday evening last year I was half watching a television program about painting and how experts try and distinguish fake paintings from genuine works. One of the key things they examine is the imprimatura, the first layer of colour applied by the artist to a blank canvas. Subsequent layers of painting allow the colour of the imprimatura to show through, creating a subtle optical effect that enhances the vibrancy and mood of the painting. It got me thinking about how small aquatic invertebrates have inherent transparency and translucency. Light shining on them is reflected, refracted or transmitted in varying degrees by the different components within their bodies. Tying an imitation that mimics these different ways that light interacts with a natural nymph is always going to be somewhat constrained by the fact that there is a chunk of metal at the centre of the creation. I experimented with overlaying materials of different colour and transparency which would interact with light like a natural nymph and more effectively disguise the presence of the hook. The result was the Imp nymphs which use the imprimatura principle in their bodies.
Imp nymphs are made by winding coloured ultra-lace over unstripped organza ribbon. Winding the organza in overlapping turns forms a tapered ribbed underbody with the sparkle of the crimped fibres of the ribbon showing through the transparent tubing giving depth to the body and increasing the illusion of life. They’ve proved to be very successful for me for trout and grayling in late summer and autumn as I wander along the bank crunching chestnuts and beech nuts underfoot.
Tan & Olive Imp Nymph
The imprimatura effect is subtle here. The tan organza lightens the colour of the olive body compared to simply wrapping the ultra-lace over tying thread, but the key effect is to introduce depth. Light passing through the transparent tubing is reflected from the hundreds of crimped organza fibres in the ribbon wraps giving the impression of complex internal structures within the nymph’s body.
Hook Hends BL120 size 10-14
Bead Slotted tungsten 2-4mm copper
Thread Veevus 10/0 olive
Tails Tan organza fibres
Underbody Tan organza ribbon
Body Ultra Lace tubing, olive
Thorax Swiss CDC Argentinian hare dark olive dubbing
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Fit a bead on the hook and run on the tying thread. Cut a 10cm length of tan organza ribbon and trim off a 3mm strip from one edge. Strip out some of the long fibres from the other section of ribbon, fold in half around the thread and tie down along the top of the shank to the bend. Trim the tail fibres to length.
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Bring the thread back up the shank and tie in a length of ultra-lace, pushing the end into the bead slot to lock the bead in place. Stretch the ultra-lace and bind down to the bend.
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Cut away the fibres from 1cm at the end of the 3mm strip of organza leaving just the woven edge and tie in this section at the bend. Wind forward in overlapping turns with the woven edge to the rear forming a ribbed underbody. Tie in behind the bead and cut off the excess.
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Stretch the ultra-lace and take a turn around the bare hook shank and then wind forward in touching turns easing off the tension as you progress to form a tapered body. Tie in at the bead and trim off the excess.
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Dub a small but shaggy thorax, smear the thread with varnish, whip finish behind the bead and cut off the thread.
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Brush out the thorax with Velcro.
Pink & Olive Imp Nymph
This one is a more obvious application of the imprimatura principle. The vibrant pink underbody shining through the transparent olive overlay gives a completely different appearance to the use of either material alone. As you might expect, it’s very good combination for autumn and winter grayling.
Hook Hends BL554 size 10-14
Head Black glass embroidery bead
Thread Veevus 10/0 olive
Underbody Fluorescent pink organza ribbon
Body Ultra-Lace tubing, olive
Thorax Swiss CDC Argentinian hare dark olive dubbing
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Slip a bead onto the hook and run on the tying thread behind. Catch in a length of ultra-lace on the side of the hook, stretch and bind down around the bend.
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Cut a length of organza ribbon and trim off a 3mm strip from one edge. Cut away the fibres from 1cm at one end leaving a stub of woven edge. Tie in at the bend.
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Wind the organza forward in overlapping turns up to the bead keeping the woven edge to the rear. Tie in and trim off the excess.
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Stretch the lava-lace, take a turn around the bare hook and then wind forward in touching turns slackening the tension as you move forwards, forming a tapered body. Tie in behind the bead and cut off the excess.
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Apply dubbing to the thread and build a small thorax. Smear the thread with varnish, whip finish behind the bead and cut the thread.
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Brush out the dubbing with Velcro.
Green, Black & Olive Imp Nymph
Winding larva-lace over two colours of organza in the underbody gives a very attractive naturalistic effect. The Imp nymph below was tied with an underbody of vivid green organza ribbed with three turns of black organza. Over wrapping with olive larva-lace tones down the bright green body and blurs the hard edges of the black ribbing to yield a very lifelike mottled colouration.
With smooth hydrodynamic bodies and just a hint of legs provided by the shaggy dubbing these nymphs cut through the current and get down quickly to the fish. The way light bounces around within the bodies makes the most of the low angled light of autumn and winter to highlight the nymphs to fish as they drift past. They are not too dull and not too flashy; just like the real thing in fact. The fish seem to think so.
Nick Thomas lives in South Wales. He started fly fishing on Scottish hill lochs many years ago and continues to design, tie and fish flies for trout, grayling, carp, bass and anything else that’s going.
