Any time from July onwards on a sunny afternoon, damsel nymphs will be on the move in the shallows.
For me, still water is anything from a swamp to a lake edge or a backwater in a river. I use a 6 weight rod with a floating line and a long leader. I tend to use the unweighted flies in the most shallow of situations with a slow presentation.
A bead headed fly is important when you want a bit of vertical action or when you want to cover a lot of water quickly. You cannot fish a bead head bugger too fast. This 24 fly pack is designed for just that. It covers most damsel nymphs and dragon fly larva and a couple of others that are bound to be on the menu.
I am a keen still water trout fisherman and I always have been. I love nothing more than going to places like the Rabbit Bridge end of Lake Aniwhenua in Galatea. There I stalk the swampy shallows in the canoe. On a sunny day the water warms and the damsel nymphs start moving. It can be magical targeting the browns when they lose their inhibitions and savagely attack the wiggling damsels.
This pack contains all the following flies.
For starters we have the damsel nymph, bloodworm and water boatman imitations:
- Olive Marabou Damsel Nymph two size 12 and two size 14
- Pheasant Tail Nymph sizes 8, 10, 12 and 14
- Bead Head Bloodworm size 14
- Bloodworm size 14
-
Water Boatman sizes 12 and 14
Then we have my selection of woolly buggers which imitate damsel nymphs, dragon fly larva and bait fish:
- Bead Head Krystal Olive sizes 8 and 12
- Bead Head Krystal Brown size 10
- Bead Head Krystal Black size 8
- Bead Head Olive size 8
- Olive size 10
- Bead Head Brown size 8
- Brown size 8
- Bead Head Black size 8
- Black size 10
- Olive and Black size 8
Finally, when you need to reach a little deeper:
- Dragon Fly Larva with dumbell eyes size 8
Some may ask about the pheasant tail nymphs. Well, I have had great success with them as a damsel imitations especially when you do not have other damsel imitations. It's all about the wiggle!