Spun body nymph

[bearbutt]

That's pretty good, John--nice fuzzy factor. Here's a few tied by Mr. Fuzzy:






And Mr. Fuzzy himself with his charming smile (from the book coming your way....)




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[upstatetrout]

Nice piece of history there!

Tom

[DUBBN]

Those nymphs are huge!

[wsbailey]

In Rosborough's video; he forms the body with what he calls a noodle. To help it hold together; he would add a long fiber fur as a binder to his dubbing mixtures. It's the same idea as was used when tyers tied in hand; tie down the tip of the noodle, wind it around the thread and then wrap the body on the hook. Polly always laid down a base of glue so he could thoroughly rough up the body. If you ever watched Dave Whitlock tie; he gets a similar result but without making a noodle.

[ronr]

Being a little on the "non-traditionalist" side of things.. I lean toward sparse bodies on nymphs and have had more success with spider style soft hackles than with the more heavily bodied flymphs. Rosbourough's fuzzy nymphs have a following and I'm sure they work in some waters. I wonder if their success is better in certain parts of the country.

[wsbailey]

Rosborough basically tied for his home waters. Dave Hughes wrote that he never added weight to his nymphs. He used long, heavy hooks and tied them with an extra long, thread head. Most of his nymphs have been superseded but his Casual Dress remains a perennial favorite with many tiers.

[ronr]

I'm with you John... not suggesting anything wrong with anyone's choice. I agree the fish are the true judges. My comment is just curiosity and knowing that the bugs in your neighborhood may differ from mine. I certainly tied different flies when I was fishing the Guadalupe in Texas than I need here in the Crooked River in Oregon. Though, if I were more experienced when I was fishing in Texas waters I may have found that many of the flies I use here, would have worked there. After all, even though I qualify as a certified geezer, I'm a babe in the woods when it comes to fly tying.

[letumgo]

John,

Your fly patterns are terrific. Very “buggy” imitations, in the best way.

bearbutt - Do you mind if I save copies of your Polly Rosborough photos (flies and his fishing photo)? I’m a big fan of his flies, so seeing originals is a real treat. By the way, I am convinced that there are several of Polly’s own flies in Pete Hidy’s fly wallet. The next time you see Lance Hidy, take a look at the flies and see if you agree. You may be able to confirm my guess, based on your original set of Polly’s flies.

[wsbailey]

https://montana-riverboats.com/?robopag ... /index.htm

[letumgo]

Thanks Bill. Good stuff!