I carry this fly in my lake box rather than my nymph box because I use it in lakes rather than rivers. For me it is a great middle dropper fly in a team of lock style flies in still water where the the flash of red, yellow, orange or pink in the thorax it make it a great attractor pattern.
In fast flowing water or where you just want your nymph to stand out a little a Flash Back nymph is an option. Whilst this nymph is not tied to represent the nymphal (sub imago or pupa) stage of any specific insect it is a good “buggy” looking fly and readily accepted by trout.
When it all boils down the “Cruncher” isn’t that different to so many nymphs that you see but it does have a trigger point in the form of the front hackle and of course as you would expect it does catch fish. I tend to carry it only in size 10 and size 12 and use it when a big buggy nymph is called for in river fishing, loch style fishing or even when polaroiding.
The fly that Frank sawyer created was not representational of any particular mayfly nymph but rather is suggestive of the broad range of nymphs that he came across in his duties and his recreational fishing. I tie olive, brown and claret versions of this fly in a couple of sizes. These pheasant tail variants make up around 20% of the content of my nymph fly box and account for probably 80% of the trout I catch on nymphs.
This is a very effective fly for fast water because it sinks fast and the placement of the lead shot gives the fly a propensity to ride point up reducing the propensity of snagging. It can be used on its own just to bounce along the bottom or to sink a second fly such as a an egg fly or unweighted nymph.
Most caddis grubs make a retreat of silk with sand or detritus matter stuck to the outside. Similar in form this fly represents a caddis grub that has been dislodged from it retreat. Colors include cream, lime, fawn, and light browns and olives through to dark browns and olives.
This fly hangs from the surface with the bend of the hook down much in the same way as the natural hangs just as it is breaking the water surface – anyway that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. In any case it is a suggestive fly that has taken many fish during evening midge hatches.
If your only going to carry one nymph pattern this is the one. Whilst this nymph is not tied to represent the nymphal (sub imago or pupa) stage of any specific insect it is a good ‘buggy’ looking fly and readily accepted by trout. Tie it in black, brown, dark olive as well as “Red Tag” and “Adams” or “Hare & Copper” colours and carry a larger (size #10) and smaller (size #14) version of each.
A.K.A. Polaroiding nymph
Although this is a nifty way of representing legs on a fly, particularly a nymph, it is not used very often.
I can remember the first time I tied this fly. I had lost a few nymphs during the day and had limited resources on hand to make up some replacements. A little dubbing and a few church window feather (rein neck pheasant) later and the church nymph was born. It’s not dissimilar to many other nymphs I have seen.
