Flashback Sulphur Nymph Pattern - Fly of the Month

Guest Blogger: Jason Bromwell, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highflyingflies/

This Sulphur nymph variation is a trout pleaser. With a tungsten bead, it gets down in the zone quickly and goes right to work. The flashback not only helps to draw attention, but also helps minic the splitting thorax during emergence. If Sulphur Mayflies are in your watershed, this is a great one to tie on as part of your nymph rig. 

Firehole 718 Hook size 16
Hareline Slotted Tungsten Copper Bead size 2.8mm
Uni-Thread Waxed 6/0 in Rusty Brown
Hareline Coq de Leon Medium Speckled
Ultra Wire Brassie Black
Uni-Mylar Double Sided Tinsel Copper/Blue size 12
SLF Dave Whitlock Dubbing Crayfish Brown – feel free to substitute another dubbing of the same color
SLF Dave Whitlock Dubbing Dark Stone – feel free to substitute another dubbing of the same color
Premium Hungarian Partridge Feather color Natural
Loon UV Clear Fly Finish Thin

1. With the bead on the hook, start your thread directly behind the bead. Wrap your thread rearward until just beyond the hook point, clip your tag, and let your bobbin hang.
2. Prepare your Coq de Leon (CDL) feather by pinching the section of fibers you will use for the tail. Pull the fibers out 90 degrees, perpendicular to the stem to help even the tips. Once the tips are lined up, pinch tight and pluck them from the stem.
3. At this point you will tie in the CDL fibers for your tail. Place the fibers that are still pinched in your fingers on the top of the hook shank. With your other hand, grab your bobbin and make 2 to 3 wraps of thread to trap your tail. Using the butt section of your tailing fibers, pull them towards the eye of the hook to achieve your desired tail length. Once at the desired length, advance your thread back up to the bead to finish tying your tail in. Clip the excess butt section of your CDL fibers.
4. Now cut a 4″ or 5″ section of black wire. Hold the wire on the side of the hook shank facing you. Trap the wire with a loose wrap or two and then make nice even tight wraps of thread over the wire rearwards until you have reached your tail tie in point.
5. Grab a pinch of Crayfish Bown dubbing and twist a dubbing noodle on to your thread. Wrap your dubbing noodle nice and evenly back up approximately 2/3 of the hook towards the eye.

6. Wrap the black wire over the dubbing to the same spot on the hook and tie it off using a few turns of thread. Clip or twirl the extra wire off.
7. With the body complete, you will now work on the thorax to cover the last 1/3 of the hook. Tie in the tip of your copper tinsel on the top of the hook shank. Tie in with the copper side down and the tail of the tinsel going towards the back of the fly.
8. Tie in your partridge feather. Grab a small feather by the tip. Preen back all the other fibers but the tip in your fingers. Now tie in your feather at the separation point you just created. Tie the feather in face down with the end section of feather going towards the tail of your fly. Clip any excess feather tips left up at your tie in point.
9. Grab a pinch of Dark Stone dubbing and twist a small dubbing noodle on to your thread for the thorax. Wrap your dubbing over the remaining 1/3 of your hook slightly larger than the body to complete the thorax. At this point your thread should be hanging just behind the bead.
10. Almost there, now grab the butt section of the partridge feather you tied in earlier. Gently fold it up over the thorax you just created toward the eye of the hook to create the legs. With your feather in place, tie it off with a few wraps of thread in front of and behind it.
11. Now grab your copper tinsel and pull it over the feather you just tied in to create your wingcase. Tie it off just as you did the feather. Clip the excess tinsel and partridge at your tie in point.
12. Tie off your fly with 2 three turn whip finishes.
13. Put a drop of resin on your tinsel wingcase and cure with UV light.
14. Get fishing!