How Do I Tie an Ephemerella Nymph?

The genus Ephemerella includes the Hendrickson, Pale Morning Dun and Sulphur mayflies. The insects are a common and important food source for trout throughout the United States. The mayflies range in color with dark brown being common for Hendricksons and yellow being the dominant shade for the Sulphur and Pale Morning Dun. You can imitate the nymphs with several different patterns or a general pattern such as the hare's ear. The hare's ear imitates the fat body of the nymphs and the guard hairs from the hare's mask are effective at imitating the gills and legs.

Things You'll Need

  • Vise
  • Nymph hook #10-18
  • Hare's mask died brown or yellow
  • Gold oval tinsel
  • Turkey tail feather
  • Head cement scissors
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Instructions

    • 1

      Clamp the hook in the vise and start the thread at the eye. Wrap the thread forward to the bend and stop.

    • 2

      Cut a small clump of guard hairs from a hare's mask. The guard hairs are the fine fibers with black tips. Hold the clump on the hook bend with a short section of the tips extending past the bed. Make ten thread wraps to secure the hairs.

    • 3

      Wrap the thread to the one-half point on the hook. Cut a 1 foot piece of gold oval tinsel from a spool. Hold one end of the tinsel on the hook and make three thread wraps to secure the tinsel. Wrap the thread back to the bend, covering the tinsel with each wrap.

    • 4

      Cut a chunk of fur from the hare's mask. Cut the chunk from the cheek and use your fingers to mix the guard hairs and underfur into a soft pile dubbing. Place a thin layer of dubbing against the thread and twist it between your fingers. The dubbing will spin into a tight pattern on the thread.

    • 5

      Wrap the dubbed thread two-thirds of the distance up the hook shank. Wrap the tinsel in a diagonal and even spaced pattern to rib the dubbing. Wrap the thread over the tinsel five times and cut the extra tinsel from the hook.

    • 6

      Cut a 1/8-inch wide strip of turkey tail. Place the base of the cut on the hook with the tips pointing towards the bend. Make five thread wraps to secure the turkey.

    • 7

      Twist another layer of dubbing on the thread and wrap it to create the thorax. Make the thorax three times the diameter of the abdomen and stop at the hook eye. Pull the turkey over the back of the thorax to create the wing case. Make five thread wraps to secure the turkey at the hook eye. Cut the extra turkey off the hook.

    • 8

      Make 15 thread wraps at the hook eye to build a small thread head. Add a drop of head cement to the head and wait for one minute while it dries. Cut the extra thread from the hook.