Fountains of Youth – Classic trout flies that have withstood the test of time … flies that remain “forever young”
by Rusty Dunn
No author has captured the artistry and allure of fishing with nymphs better than the great G.E.M. Skues:
“The indications which tell your dry-fly angler when to strike are clear and unmistakable, but those which bid a wet-fly man raise his rod point and draw in the steel are frequently so subtle, so evanescent and impalpable to the senses, that when the bending rod assures him that he has divined aright, he feels an ecstasy as though he had performed a miracle each time.” (Minor Tactics of the Chalk Stream, 1910)
Many fly fishers spend their entire angling lives presenting flies on or near the surface. Dedicated nymph anglers, however, regularly prowl the inky depths where trout spend their leisure time. If you’ve not probed the hidden recesses of your favorite streams during non-hatch periods, you’re missing out on the many miracles that Skues describes.
Oregonian Ernest “Polly” Rosborough (1902-1997) is one of history’s finest nymph fishermen. He was a self-taught wizard of fur and feather, one who developed effective flies from scratch by trial and error. He tied flies, took them fishing, altered their design, and fished them again … over and over until satisfied. With time, he learned that effective flies need not be detailed replicas of insect appearance, but rather impressionistic “suggestions” of size, profile, and underwater behavior. Imitating the underwater movements of insect gills, legs, wings, etc. is central to Rosborough’s designs, which he accomplished with the quivering motions of soft hair and fur when wet. Rosborough was truly one of the great fly-tying innovators of the 20th century.
Rosborough spent a lifetime studying insects of his home waters in southern Oregon, where he developed
flies to match local species and taught others what he learned. His book Tying and Fishing the Fuzzy Nymphs (1965, 1978) summarize a lifetime of experiences. It is an angling classic and a landmark publication of the dark arts. Rosborough’s “fuzzy nymphs” seem gangly and disheveled compared to their more manicured relatives, but the patterns evolved because trout responded well, not because they fit a classic mold or prevailing opinions of fly design.
What makes a nymph fuzzy? Rosborough tied simple impressionistic flies that resemble classes of insects by their suggestive, but not entirely imitative, form. He believed that fly materials should be feathery soft, with sodden fur fibers creating movement and an indistinct silhouette. The flies sometimes look like skewered roadkill but put them in moving water and they spring to life. The fibers pulse and breath with every little vagary of current, yielding a fuzzy haze that appears alive from any angle.
Rosborough’s patterns are big, bushy, and durable. His midge imitations were tied on #14 hooks (!), and his fuzzy nymphs on #4 to #12 2X- or 3X-long heavy-wire hooks. Big flies … big fish! Copious amounts of cement and at least five half-hitches went into every fly. You might wear out your quarry, but you won’t wear out a Polly Rosborough nymph!
Most of Rosborough’s fuzzy nymphs are keyed to specific hatches, but the Casual Dress, Muskrat Nymph, and Fledermouse are generic attractors that catch fish anytime anywhere, from the chalk streams of England to the turbulent coastal waters of Oregon. The Casual Dress is an all-purpose nymph for mid-depths and below. Rosborough described it as “looking like a nice gob of food with the hazy outline of several insects in various forms”. Being a nymph for deeper water, weight added to the leader can help with presentation. Remember, the difference between a good nymph and a great nymph can be a couple of split shot.
Copyright 2025, Rusty Dunn
Casual Dress
Spin a tight dubbing rope on tying thread and then catch the rope in a dubbing loop. Twist tightly and wrap the body, which should show a distinct segmentation. Then, roughen the surface to create a fuzzy haze. All of Rosborough’s fuzzy nymphs are unweighted and have a prominent “neck” and head behind the hook eye.
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Hook:
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2X-long nymph hook; #4-#16
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Thread:
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Black, 8/0 or 6/0
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|
Tail:
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Muskrat guard hairs mixed with a bit of underfur
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|
Body:
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Muskrat underfur, dubbed tightly and then twisted in a dubbing loop
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Collar:
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Muskrat fur
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Head:
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Black ostrich herl
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Casual Dress
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Posted: February 4, 2025 by Drew Kasel
by Rusty Dunn
No author has captured the artistry and allure of fishing with nymphs better than the great G.E.M. Skues:
“The indications which tell your dry-fly angler when to strike are clear and unmistakable, but those which bid a wet-fly man raise his rod point and draw in the steel are frequently so subtle, so evanescent and impalpable to the senses, that when the bending rod assures him that he has divined aright, he feels an ecstasy as though he had performed a miracle each time.” (Minor Tactics of the Chalk Stream, 1910)
Many fly fishers spend their entire angling lives presenting flies on or near the surface. Dedicated nymph anglers, however, regularly prowl the inky depths where trout spend their leisure time. If you’ve not probed the hidden recesses of your favorite streams during non-hatch periods, you’re missing out on the many miracles that Skues describes.
Oregonian Ernest “Polly” Rosborough (1902-1997) is one of history’s finest nymph fishermen. He was a self-taught wizard of fur and feather, one who developed effective flies from scratch by trial and error. He tied flies, took them fishing, altered their design, and fished them again … over and over until satisfied. With time, he learned that effective flies need not be detailed replicas of insect appearance, but rather impressionistic “suggestions” of size, profile, and underwater behavior. Imitating the underwater movements of insect gills, legs, wings, etc. is central to Rosborough’s designs, which he accomplished with the quivering motions of soft hair and fur when wet. Rosborough was truly one of the great fly-tying innovators of the 20th century.
Rosborough spent a lifetime studying insects of his home waters in southern Oregon, where he developed
flies to match local species and taught others what he learned. His book Tying and Fishing the Fuzzy Nymphs (1965, 1978) summarize a lifetime of experiences. It is an angling classic and a landmark publication of the dark arts. Rosborough’s “fuzzy nymphs” seem gangly and disheveled compared to their more manicured relatives, but the patterns evolved because trout responded well, not because they fit a classic mold or prevailing opinions of fly design.
What makes a nymph fuzzy? Rosborough tied simple impressionistic flies that resemble classes of insects by their suggestive, but not entirely imitative, form. He believed that fly materials should be feathery soft, with sodden fur fibers creating movement and an indistinct silhouette. The flies sometimes look like skewered roadkill but put them in moving water and they spring to life. The fibers pulse and breath with every little vagary of current, yielding a fuzzy haze that appears alive from any angle.
Rosborough’s patterns are big, bushy, and durable. His midge imitations were tied on #14 hooks (!), and his fuzzy nymphs on #4 to #12 2X- or 3X-long heavy-wire hooks. Big flies … big fish! Copious amounts of cement and at least five half-hitches went into every fly. You might wear out your quarry, but you won’t wear out a Polly Rosborough nymph!
Most of Rosborough’s fuzzy nymphs are keyed to specific hatches, but the Casual Dress, Muskrat Nymph, and Fledermouse are generic attractors that catch fish anytime anywhere, from the chalk streams of England to the turbulent coastal waters of Oregon. The Casual Dress is an all-purpose nymph for mid-depths and below. Rosborough described it as “looking like a nice gob of food with the hazy outline of several insects in various forms”. Being a nymph for deeper water, weight added to the leader can help with presentation. Remember, the difference between a good nymph and a great nymph can be a couple of split shot.
Copyright 2025, Rusty Dunn
Casual Dress
Spin a tight dubbing rope on tying thread and then catch the rope in a dubbing loop. Twist tightly and wrap the body, which should show a distinct segmentation. Then, roughen the surface to create a fuzzy haze. All of Rosborough’s fuzzy nymphs are unweighted and have a prominent “neck” and head behind the hook eye.
Hook:
2X-long nymph hook; #4-#16
Thread:
Black, 8/0 or 6/0
Tail:
Muskrat guard hairs mixed with a bit of underfur
Body:
Muskrat underfur, dubbed tightly and then twisted in a dubbing loop
Collar:
Muskrat fur
Head:
Black ostrich herl
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Category: Fly Tying, Rusty Dunn Fountains of Youth
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