Something & Nothing Nymph

[Roger_Fogg]

Recently, I was asked what my favourite fly was. Of course, I was expected to say something like Orange Partridge, Greenwell Spider or waterhen Bloa. Alas no, my favourite fly is not a soft-hackled spider but the Something & Nothing Nymph and if I were to be restricted to a single fly - when fishing anywhere - then that would have to be it. The S & N is useful on the point of a three-fly cast, either on rivers or stillwaters, but it is an excellent nymph in its own right and will catch fish absolutely anywhere. It may also be dressed in sizes from 18 straight through to long shank 10s or 8s as occasion dictates. In larger sizes it's a bit like a stick fly. It doesn't imitate anything in particular, and it's pretty scruffy, but it seems to suggest a wealth of different food items. The dressing is simple. It has an underbody of fine dark copper-coloured wire covered with peacock herl (a strand of wire twisted with the herl strengthens the body), a wing stub of white wool or feather and a hackle of coch-y-bonddu hen (or similar) trimmed down to an untidy collar. It really does work well and it is very simple to dress - who needs complicated patterns!

[bbamboo]

Hi Roger.
I guess you must have read my mind. I was just going to give you a call about it
Reading your book and with reference to the S & N. Do you tie the pattern without weight at all?
And more importantly is it a good grayling fly.
Can you tell me more about your method of use is it used upstream or downstream or both?

Gary

[Roger_Fogg]

Hi Gary,

The only weight I generally use for the S & N is a couple of layers of copper wire under the peacock herl. However, a lead underbody may be used for deep or very fast water. It may be fished as an upstream nymph, or on the point of a 3-fly cast fished downstream or what you will. I have caught trout on it just about anywhere (even on the Test!) and it will certainly take grayling. It actually emanated from a chewed-up Coachman so there wasn't much original thinking involved in its design.

[bbamboo]

Thanks Roger
I plan to give it a try whats the best size?

[lochbois]

I have been a fan of the wet fly since i read the art of the wet fly.
My favourite fly is a black and peacock but with the Green and White neck feather from a cock pheasant.
I started useing these feather when i didnt have any black hen hackles and my father who was a butcher used to save me the feathers of the brace of pheasants he got at xmas
Grayling love it with a little red tag. Their isnt a lot on the neck and some birds dont even have the white band. PB