Video: How to Tie the Steelhead Nymph

This week’s video from Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions walks you through a great nymph pattern to create flies that will attract steelhead, whether you’re fishing in the Pacific Northwest or on a Great Lakes tributary. A mixture of realistic silhouette and gaudy colors, these patterns are perfect for sight-fishing or using in murky water. I can also see how you can tie killer stonefly patterns for trout using these methods, as well.

As usual, Flagler offers some excellent tying tips that you’ll also find effective when you’re creating other patterns. The ways that he manipulates the thread, through spinning and separating the strands, to make it do what he needs it to do are ingenious.

          Steelhead Nymph
          Hook: Czech Nymph Hook hook (here a Partridge Patriot), size 10.
          Thread: Brown, 6/0 or 140-denier.
          Tail/Wingcase: Dyed-chartreuse pheasant-tail fibers.
          Abdomen: Fluorescent chartreuse thread, 6/0 or 140-denier.
          Rib: Brown tying thread.
          Wingcase: Dyed-chartreuse pheasant-tail fibers.
          Thorax/Legs: Caddis-green SLF Prism Dubbing.
          Head: Brown tying thread.
          Adhesives: Sally Hansen Dries Instantly Top Coat and UV-cure resin.
          Note: Tie this in any colors you choose.

7 thoughts on “Video: How to Tie the Steelhead Nymph”

  1. Very nice looking flies, I think these would work really well for Atlantic salmon in low water conditions also. Possibly with a small bead head version for extra weight!

  2. I tied this nymph and fished it in the rocky river located in Cleveland Ohio , caught two steelhead, this fly is fun to tie and fish, I will definitely keep it in my steelhead fly box arsenal

  3. Tied a variation of this with a tungsten bead and used on Wisconsin rivers for Great Lake salmon this month and did well with it. Size 10 with bead in chartreuse. Nothing else seemed to work so this was almost last ditch try.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *