Legged generic beadhead Rudd nymph

Legged generic beadhead Rudd nymph

Fly: Henk Verhaar, Photograph: Hans Weilenmann
Hook:	TMC 947BL
Thread:	UNI, size 8/0
Tail:	Clump of hare's mask, or rabbit fur
Abdomen:	Hare's ear or rabbit dubbing
Rib:	Narrow gold wire, or embossed tinsel
Thorax:	Olive angora goat or seal's fur dubbing
Thorax cover, legs:	Deer hair
Head:	Gold or copper bead

This is a pattern that works really well for me when fishing for rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus; a member of the carp family, or a 'large minnow' to our US friends, that readily takes dry flies as well as nymphs) on large lakes, especially when targeting reed beds near shores. It is a fairly straightforward tie, except maybe for the legs. I use a TMC 947BL since I find that its shape makes for a nicer, more natural looking tie, but any longshank hook would work.

Tying instructions:

Start by sliding the bead onto the hook, then clamp the hook in the vise. Attach tying thread and bring to back.
Clip a generous bunch of long hairs from a hare's mask, dyed light olive, or from a rabbit pelt, dyed with picric acid, and tie in as a tail. Tail length shoul be about 1/2 shank length.
Cover the butts, which should preferably reach up to the thorax area, with tying thread. Clip excess (i.e. beyond thorax area). Bring the thread back to the bend, tying in the rib in the process.
Dub a tapered abdomen with the hare's ear (from the same mask as the tail) or the rabbit (again, from the same pelt -- a good dubbing rake will come in handy here), up to the thorax area. The thorax should start approximately where the 947 slopes back up or a little closer to the eye than that. Rib the abdomen and tie off.
Tie in a nice clump of not too hollow deer hair (you don't need prime spinning hair for this, hair that is a little tougher and harder is better), tips aligned in a hair stacker, with the butts projecting over the eye. The tips should extend so that they offer enough length to form the thorax cover and the legs. About twice the thorax length or a little longer is about right. Make sure the hair's tie-in point is flush with the front end of the abdomen.
Cover the butts and clip off excess. Dub a nice, rough thorax between the deer hair tie-in point and the bead head. Bring the deer hair forward and lock the thorax cover in place with two or three wraps. Carefully force the hair tips downward, so that the form a 180 degree arc on the underside of the hook, locking them in place with additional thread wraps. Sometimes it helps making 'intermediate' wraps, i.e. forcing the tips down partways, making a wrap, forcing them some more, making a wrap, forcing them in their final place and making two additional wraps to lock them there.
Whip finish between the legs and the bead head, thus forcing the legs backward a bit. Fish on a floating line and a long leader, towards the reed beds, while wading or from a belly boat.

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