Tungsten For Trout by Mike Tinnion

With Guideline Ambassador Mike Tinnion

With the modern angler’s nymph box looking more colourful than a set of Christmas lights, how do you simplify your choice of nymph?

Look into many a top angler’s fly box and its usually not about weird and wonderful secret flies but different weights and sizes of what are very often pheasant tail or hares’ ear bodied tungsten nymphs.

What follows probably simplifies a fly box to fish most freestone streams others no doubt may fill their box differently but that’s always what fishermen do. Most of the season can be covered with beads of 2.5,3, and 3.55mm, teamed with hooks of 14,16,18.

For heavy water 4mm beads with size 10 + 12 hooks would come in and for chalk stream and freestone drought conditions 1.5mm and 2mm on size 20 hooks would make the box up.

Then bead colours, again, other anglers will have come to different conclusions but the main thing is to try to have a reason for nymph choice not just a random pick.

First thing is the big 4 colours -

1. Copper: - Great in most conditions, tarnished copper can be good in really clear water.
2. Silver: - Once again a great favourite from really clear to turbid conditions goes well with a black body and fluo red tags or thorax.
3. Gold: - The original “gold head” can be much overlooked at times in the UK, can still be a great favourite in Ireland and Europe.
4. Black: - Great in clear water and small pheasant tail, quill nymphs. Also good in turbid water on red tags or similar bright tagged patterns.

Now on to some others, they can be good as “change” colours or on pressured water -

• White: - Low clear pressured water or as a change. Very good on heavy alpine rivers.
• Pink: - Great in clear water, quite often either works fantastically or not at all.
• Fluo Orange: - Like Pink, often either a feast or famine, but good for flood conditions.
• Chartreuse: - Change pattern, also good on stocked fish.
• Olive: - Clear water for a natural look.
• Purple: - Good combined with a black body to achieve a dark outline.

No doubt on the rivers you fish different favourites will appear but that is all part of the fun and there is always that new bead colour to buy and try.