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Skinny Nelson
Skinny Nelson
Tying Instructions
1. Slip a tungsten bead onto the hook. This is a size 5/64 bead, so you may want to use hook tweezers. The hook is a TMC 3761 size 16.
2. Attach the thread behind the bead and wrap a thread foundation to the bend of the hook
3. Clip 3-4 Pheasant Tail fibers from a tail feather and measure the fibers to be a hook shank long.
4. Secure the fibers at the bend of the hook with a couple of tight wraps.
5. Then, wrap the material along the upper part of the shank up to the base of the bead.
6. Clip off the tag end of the Pheasant Tail fibers and secure with some thread wraps. Place the end of your wire ribbing within the cavity of the bead and secure the wire to the op of the hook shank with some thread wraps.
7. Wrap the ribbing wire to the top of the shank down to the tail tie position.
8. Wrap back to the bead with touching wraps creating a smooth, even body.
9.Wrap the ribbing forward in evenly spaced spirol wraps and secure the tag end just behind the bead with some thread wraps.
10. Wrap the thread back to about a bead width behind the bead and secure the flashabou or tinsel wingcase to the top of the hook shank.
11. Place two to three Peacock Herls by the tips behind the bead. Tips are usually weak, so clip off a small amount prior to placeing the herl. Secure the herl so that it is about at the 3/4 position on the shank.
12. Wrap a small tight thorax with 2-3 wraps of the herl and secure with a thread wrap behind the bead.
13. Bring the tinsel over the herl thorax and secure the tinsel just behind the bead with some thread wraps. Take care not to capture some of the fine herl fibers.
14.Whip finish behind the bead.
15. The finished Skinny Nelson.
| Materials
to Order Material, click the link |
|
|---|---|
| Hook | Daiichi 1560 size #16-18 |
| Thread | Uni-thread Black 8/0 |
| Head | Black Tungsten Bead |
| Body | Uni-thread Black 8/0 |
| Thorax | Peacock Herl |
| Tail | Pheasant Tail fibers, Natural |
| Flashback | Pearl Tinsel Narrow |
| Ribbing | X-small Silver Wire |
Tracy Peterson
The Skinny Nelson is a pattern designed by Tracy Peterson of Corvallis, Oregon. Tracy developed this pattern on the Bighorn River while guiding in Montana during low flow conditions. He named it after a close friend. Originally, it was tied without a bead and was fished within the skinny waters.
Small Mayfly Pattern
The pattern represents small mayflies such as PMD’s and Trico’s but could also represent any midge hatches that transitioned during the low flow periods. A tungsten bead was added to the pattern so that it could be fished as a traditional dropper nymph beneath a dry fly or as a point fly within a multiple nymph rig. It worked well on other Montana rivers such as the Yellowstone and the Madison.
Successful Pattern throughout the West
Tracy also found that it worked well on his home waters of the Deschutes, Metolius, and Crooked Rivers. Tracy was tying over 400 dozen of these flies yearly until Umpqua Feather Merchants picked up the pattern in 2007. The pattern has found success throughout the fly fishing community. Within the Sierra, the pattern is quite popular on the Truckee River. Generally, it is tied in sizes 16-20 to represent small mayflies or midges.
The key to this pattern is the thin body profile and the thorax of Peacock Herl. An ultrawire ribbing provides the necessary segmentation to the pattern for mimicking mayflies. The thread body can also be tied to a number of colors such as Olive, Purple, Gray, and Brown, although Black is the most popular. As a point fly within a Czech nymphing rig, the pattern can be tied to a jig style hook such as a Tiemco 4640 size 16.
Variations
Skinny Nelson, Gray
| Hook | Daiichi 1560 size #16-18 |
| Thread | Uni-thread Gray 8/0 |
| Head | Nickel Tungsten Bead |
| Body | Uni-thread Gray 8/0 |
| Thorax | Peacock Herl |
| Tail | Coq de Leon, Light Pardo |
| Flashback | Pearl Tinsel Narrow |
| Ribbing | X-small Silver Wire |
Skinny Nelson, Purple
| Hook | Daiichi 1560 size #16-18 |
| Thread | Uni-thread Purple 8/0 |
| Head | Gold Tungsten Bead |
| Body | Uni-thread Purple 8/0 |
| Thorax | Peacock Herl |
| Tail | Pheasant Tail fibers, Red Dyed |
| Flashback | Pearl Tinsel Narrow |
| Ribbing | Small Red Wire |
Skinny Nelson, Olive
| Hook | Daiichi 1560 size #16-18 |
| Thread | Uni-thread Olive 8/0 |
| Head | Gold Tungsten Bead |
| Body | Uni-thread Olive 8/0 |
| Thorax | Peacock Herl |
| Tail | Pheasant Tail fibers, Dyed Olive |
| Flashback | Pearl Tinsel Narrow |
| Ribbing | Small Gold Wire |