Frank Sawyer's Nymphs

[daringduffer]

I've seen quite a few genuine Sawyer tied nymphs. Of these the PT:s were tied with 'plain enamel' dark red wire and the Killer Bugs with brighter enameled 'formvar' (?) wire. When discussing the difference i choices, we could not decide whether this was due to availability or design. If the copper wire used in Killer Bugs was supposed to show through the yarn, the brighter choice seemed bright. Likewise, the darker red blends in better on the PT:s.

I have somewhere a small book published by Nick Sawyer, Frank's grandson, but I can't seem to find it. I don't remember if he commented on the colour of wire.

I am not a trout, neither a grayling. Practical experience will show a result, even if it maybe won't show how Frank Sawyer thought about it.

dd

[Greenwell]

dd,

I am away on a short business trip but slipped Nick Sawyer's A Guide to Sawyer Nymph Techniques and Frank Sawyer's Nymphing Secretsin my bag to read this evening. A quick scan of the first title turned up this: "....fine red-colored copper wire. The wire we use is little thicker than a human hair and this one can obtain at little cost from various sources."

How red is red? Remember that our Britt friends call hackle "red" that we would call "brown." Of the many original Sawyer flies, and photos of the same, that I have seen over the years, I have never seen any that were dressed with wire that this Yank would call "red." Copper or even copper-brown perhaps, but not "red." This may all be a matter of cultural differences in describing a common color and nothing more. Like I've said before, I've tied PT's with several shades of copper wire and have not found one to be demonstrably better than another.

[PhilA]

As long as we are on this subject and we all know not all mayfly nymphs are the same color has anyone tried tying the PT nymphs with dyed pheasant tails?I am looking forward to tying and testing some other PT nymph colors for fun.
John

Ghillie John,
Yes I have! Soft-hackled Pheasant Tails tied with pheasant tail feather barbs dyed red are very effective.
So are those dyed orange.
And, those dyed rusty brown.
And, those dyed olive-brown

There's a trend here. Neither the color of the wire nor the color of the pheasant will dissuade a trout from taking a SHPT presented in the right spot.

Phil

[PhilA]

The photos below demonstrate Sawyer's translucency and the effect of red wire showing through overlying wool. The first pair of photos are wet and dry versions of a Killer Bug tied with genuine Chadwick's 477. The second pair of photos are wet/dry versions of a Killer Bug tied with my favorite Chadwick's substitute. The wire was Formvar-insulated AWG38 for both flies.

[joaniebo]

Re: dyed pheasant tails, I probably have most of the dyed PTs and have tied nymphs with all of them. That being said , i seem to prefer the natural, black and deep red / wine colors the best. But haven’t really done a day of fishing only PRs if various colors to see what happens.

[Bazzer69]

PhilA, you tie a nice Killer Bug. Do you use a single
Strand of wool separated from the tri strand wool?
Thanks
Bazza

[PhilA]

Bazza,
Yes, a single ply of yarn thinly covers an underbody of wire in two layers. Beginning near the thorax, I first sculpt an underbody of wire in the desired shape of the final fly, ending behind the thorax. Next, I lash a single ply of yarn working rearward, untwisting but not wrapping the yarn as I go. This leaves the wire dangling in a bobbin at the tail. Wrap the yarn very thinly to the eye, untwisting as needed to lay flat. Reverse direction and wrap very thinly while untwisting to the tail. Tie down the yarn with 2-3 wraps of wire, snip the waste, and make 1 or 2 additional wire wraps. --Cheers, PhilA

The finished fly when wet...

[redietz]

Remember that our Britt friends call hackle "red" that we would call "brown."

When we're talking about chicken feathers, we're really no different. A Rhode Island red rooster isn't exactly scarlet. Poultry breeders have their own language; Brit tyers just seem to stick to that language ("red game") more than American tyers. I'm not sure this transfers to wire.

[Bazzer69]

Bazza,
Yes, a single ply of yarn thinly covers an underbody of wire in two layers. Beginning near the thorax, I first sculpt an underbody of wire in the desired shape of the final fly, ending behind the thorax. Next, I lash a single ply of yarn working rearward, untwisting but not wrapping the yarn as I go. This leaves the wire dangling in a bobbin at the tail. Wrap the yarn very thinly to the eye, untwisting as needed to lay flat. Reverse direction and wrap very thinly while untwisting to the tail. Tie down the yarn with 2-3 wraps of wire, snip the waste, and make 1 or 2 additional wire wraps. --Cheers, PhilA

The finished fly when wet...

PhilA, very many thanks for the detailed description, the fish, which is a very nice, hasn’t been told this is a Grayling fly, shows it works!
I liken fishing flies to abstract paintings, fish sees the canvas and sometimes sees it as his favorite food!
I recently, at very great expense bought a half a card of genuine Chardwicks 477. I’m going to tie as many Killer Bugs as it will let me do I am going to tie mainly in smaller sizes because I don’t want to stress my Hardy C C de France with big flies.
What hooks are you using? For the sake of fidelity do you have any idea of what mr Saywer used?
Thanks again
Bazza

[PhilA]

What hooks are you using? For the sake of fidelity do you have any idea of what mr Saywer used?
Thanks again
Bazza

Barry,
Sawyer says nothing in Nymphs and the Trout about the hook other than its size. The first edition states "No. 2 or 3 hook" (modern #13 or #12) for his "grayling lure". (The name Killer Bug came later at the urging of Lee Wulff.) I have no idea of the brand, but perhaps others here who have seen Sawyer originals might know the brand or at least the hook profile. I tie KBs on #14 Tiemco 3761 hooks. With their 1X-long shank, that comes out close to Sawyer's hook size, assuming his were not also long in the shank.

You might want to hang on to much of that Chadwick's 477! I'll send you a big slug of a pretty good 477 imitation. It's described in detail at http://classicflyrodforum.com/forum/vie ... 73&t=85951, and trout won't know the difference. --Cheers, PhilA