Damselfly Nymph
The Damselfly Nymph is a critical stillwater pattern that imitates one of the largest and most important food sources for lake-dwelling trout. Damselfly nymphs are aggressive aquatic predators that live among weeds and vegetation for up to two years before emerging as adults. When mature nymphs begin their migration toward shore to emerge, trout feed on them with reckless abandon, creating some of the most exciting stillwater fishing opportunities of the year. Damselfly nymphs are distinctive in appearance: elongated bodies, prominent eyes, three feathery tail gills, and six long legs. They swim with a distinctive undulating motion, propelling themselves through the water with side-to-side movements of their abdomen and tail. Effective patterns must capture this slender profile and suggest the lifelike movement that triggers aggressive strikes from cruising trout. The magic moment for damselfly nymph fishing occurs during spring and early summer emergences, typically May through July depending on latitude and elevation. During these periods, mature nymphs leave their weedy habitat and swim toward shore or emergent vegetation to climb out and transform into adults. This migration creates a feeding frenzy, with trout patrolling weed edges and shorelines to intercept the vulnerable nymphs. The fishing can be visual and exciting, with large trout actively cruising in shallow water. While damselflies are primarily a stillwater insect, they also inhabit slow-moving river sections, sloughs, and spring creeks with abundant vegetation. The pattern excels in Western lakes from Washington to California, though damselfly populations exist in suitable habitat throughout North America. Fishing techniques emphasize slow, steady retrieves with occasional pauses, imitating the swimming motion of naturals. Floating or intermediate lines work best, allowing anglers to fish the pattern through different depth zones.
Pattern Details
- Type
- Nymph
- Seasons
- spring, summer
- Hook Sizes
- #10-14
- Hook Type
- 3X or 4X long nymph hook
- Tying Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Imitates
- Damselfly nymph
Recipe & Materials
- Hook
- Tiemco 5262 or 9395, sizes 10-14
- Thread
- 6/0 olive or tan
- Tail
- Olive marabou or soft hackle tips (3 strands)
- Body
- Olive, tan, or brown dubbing or chenille
- Rib
- Fine wire or oval tinsel
- Legs
- Knotted pheasant tail fibers or rubber legs
- Thorax
- Olive or brown dubbing
- Wing Case
- Turkey, Swiss straw, or thin skin
- Eyes
- Melted mono, bead chain, or painted bead
Technique & Presentation
Creating an effective Damselfly Nymph requires capturing the elongated profile and distinctive features of the natural. Begin by tying in three small marabou plumes or soft hackle tips at the bend to represent the feathery tail gills—these should be splayed slightly and extend about one-quarter shank length beyond the bend. The soft materials create lifelike movement in the water.
Tie in ribbing material and build a slender, extended abdomen using olive or tan dubbing or chenille, covering about two-thirds of the long shank. Keep the body relatively thin—natural damselfly nymphs are quite slender. Counter-wrap the ribbing to create segmentation and add durability. Many effective patterns incorporate a slight taper, with the body slightly thicker toward the thorax.
For legs, tie in 2-3 knotted pheasant tail fibers on each side at the thorax position, or use thin rubber legs for durability and movement. Create a slightly bulkier thorax with dubbing, then pull over a wing case made from turkey tail or synthetic material. Eyes are a critical feature—use melted monofilament, small bead chain, or painted beads positioned on top of the thorax to suggest the prominent eyes of the natural. Some tyers use barbell eyes to add weight and help the fly swim hook-point up. Whip finish and apply head cement to secure the wing case and head area.
History & Origin
Damselfly nymphs have been recognized as important trout food in stillwaters for over a century, but accurate imitations evolved relatively slowly compared to mayfly and caddis patterns, perhaps because lake fishing received less attention than stream fishing in traditional fly fishing literature. British stillwater anglers were among the first to develop specialized damselfly patterns, recognizing the importance of these large nymphs in reservoir fisheries.
In North America, damselfly nymph patterns gained prominence in the mid-20th century as stillwater fishing grew in popularity, particularly in the Western states where productive lakes and reservoirs offered excellent trout fishing. Innovative tyers like Randall Kaufmann, Brian Chan, and others developed patterns that emphasized the elongated body, distinctive tail gills, and swimming motion of naturals. Kaufmann's Marabou Damsel became one of the most popular and enduring patterns, using soft marabou for both tail and body to create exceptional movement.
The introduction of modern materials like foam bodies, rubber legs, and realistic eyes further improved damselfly patterns in the 1990s and 2000s. Today, damselfly nymphs are available in numerous styles from simple marabou versions to elaborate foam-bodied patterns with articulated segments, bead chain eyes, and intricate detailing. Despite this variety, the most effective patterns share common elements: elongated profile, olive or tan coloration, soft materials that suggest life, and prominent tail gills. Damselfly nymph patterns remain essential tools for serious stillwater anglers, particularly those fishing the productive lakes of the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, and the Intermountain West.
Where to Fish This Fly
Related Nymph Patterns
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Frank Sawyer's classic nymph pattern imitates a wide range of mayfly nymphs. The pheasant tail fibers create a realistic segmented body. Effective year-round in sizes #14-20, this pattern belongs in every Montana fly box. The Pheasant Tail Nymph is the most important subsurface fly in the history of fly fishing. Frank Sawyer's original design used nothing but pheasant tail fibers and copper wire, with no thread, no dubbing, no synthetics. The result was a slim, naturally segmented nymph that sinks quickly and perfectly imitates the profile of a swimming or drifting mayfly nymph. Modern variations have added a bead head for extra weight and flash, making an already deadly pattern even more effective. In Montana, the bead head Pheasant Tail is a year-round producer on every river in the state. It matches Baetis nymphs in fall and spring, PMD nymphs in summer, and various mayfly species throughout the seasons. Whether fished as a trailing nymph behind a dry fly, in a two-nymph Euro-style rig, or under an indicator, the Pheasant Tail consistently catches fish. Its slim profile sinks quickly and looks natural even to the most selective trout on the Missouri and Bighorn tailwaters.
Zebra Midge
A devastatingly simple midge pupa pattern. Thread body with a bead head, and that's it. The Zebra Midge is the most effective winter pattern on Montana tailwaters and produces year-round on the Missouri and Bighorn rivers. The genius of the Zebra Midge lies in its simplicity. A small bead head, a thread body wrapped in even turns to create segmentation, and perhaps a few fibers for a collar, and that is all there is to it. Yet this pattern imitates the midge pupae that comprise an enormous percentage of a trout's diet on tailwater rivers. Midges hatch every day of the year on rivers like the Missouri and Bighorn, and the Zebra Midge matches them with astonishing effectiveness. The pattern's versatility is remarkable. Fished under an indicator in the classic dead-drift presentation, it produces fish consistently. But the Zebra Midge is also deadly when fished in the surface film as a midge cluster or suspended just below the surface on a greased leader. On winter days when other patterns fail, a small Zebra Midge in #18-22 fished deep and slow can save what might otherwise be a fishless outing. It is the great equalizer, the fly that always works when nothing else does.
Prince Nymph
A classic attractor nymph with peacock herl body and white biots. The Prince Nymph doesn't imitate any specific insect but suggests many. It's a reliable searching pattern when drifted through riffles and runs on all Montana rivers. The Prince Nymph occupies a unique space in fly fishing; it is perhaps the most effective attractor nymph ever designed. The combination of a peacock herl body, white goose biot wing, and brown hackle creates a fly that doesn't precisely match any natural insect but somehow suggests dozens of them. Trout see the Prince Nymph and recognize it as food, plain and simple. The iridescent sheen of the peacock herl, the contrasting white wings, and the buggy profile all contribute to its universal appeal. In Montana, the Prince Nymph is a workhorse pattern that produces fish from the first runoff of spring through the cold days of late fall. It excels as a dropper behind large dry flies, as a searching nymph under an indicator, and as a point fly in a two-nymph rig. On the Madison, Gallatin, and Yellowstone rivers, the Prince Nymph consistently produces when conditions are changing, hatches are unclear, or fish seem unwilling to commit to specific imitations. It is the problem-solving nymph that every angler should carry.
Pat's Rubber Legs
A large, heavily weighted stonefly nymph pattern. Pat's Rubber Legs is the go-to point fly for nymph rigs on the Madison, Yellowstone, and Gallatin rivers. The rubber legs pulse with every micro-current, driving trout wild. Pat's Rubber Legs is the definition of a workhorse nymph. This large, heavily weighted stonefly imitation serves as both an effective fish catcher and the anchor fly in a multi-nymph rig. Its weight gets the entire rig down to the bottom quickly, while its rubber legs provide continuous movement that attracts trout from a distance. The variegated chenille body suggests the mottled coloring of natural stonefly nymphs, and the overall profile matches the large Pteronarcys and Hesperoperla nymphs that inhabit Montana's freestone rivers. On the Madison, Yellowstone, and Gallatin rivers, all premier stonefly streams, Pat's Rubber Legs is arguably the most important fly in a guide's box. It produces fish 12 months of the year, not just during the stonefly emergence. Stonefly nymphs are always present in the drift, dislodged by current, wading anglers, and their own movements. A large Pat's Rubber Legs drifted along the bottom is a convincing imitation that trout eat with confidence. Pair it with a smaller trailing nymph like a Pheasant Tail or Lightning Bug for a devastating two-fly rig.
San Juan Worm
Love it or hate it, the San Juan Worm catches fish. This simple chenille or micro-tubing pattern imitates aquatic worms that are a significant food source in tailwater rivers. Particularly effective on the Bighorn and Missouri after rain events. The San Juan Worm divides the fly fishing community like no other pattern. Purists dismiss it as barely qualifying as a fly, while pragmatists point to its undeniable effectiveness and the scientific reality that aquatic worms (Oligochaeta) constitute a meaningful portion of trout diets, particularly in tailwater environments. On the Bighorn River, stomach sampling studies have shown that aquatic worms can represent up to 20 percent of a trout's diet during certain times of year. Regardless of where you fall in the debate, the San Juan Worm deserves a place in your fly box if you fish Montana's tailwaters. After rain events, rising water dislodges worms from the substrate and puts them into the drift, creating a feeding opportunity that trout exploit enthusiastically. Even during stable conditions, a San Juan Worm fished deep and slow on the Bighorn or Missouri can produce fish when more traditional patterns are not producing. The pattern is especially effective for large trout that have learned to target high-calorie food items with minimal effort.
Lightning Bug
A flashy variation of the Pheasant Tail that uses tinsel and flash for added attraction. The Lightning Bug excels in slightly off-color water and as a dropper behind large dry flies. A Montana guide favorite. The Lightning Bug takes the Pheasant Tail Nymph concept, a slim, segmented mayfly imitation, and adds a generous dose of flash. The tinsel body and flashback wingcase catch light in ways that natural materials cannot, creating a beacon that attracts trout from greater distances. This makes the Lightning Bug particularly effective in off-color water, during overcast conditions, and in deeper runs where light penetration is limited. Montana guides keep Lightning Bugs in their boxes for those days when standard patterns are producing but not as well as expected. A switch from a standard Pheasant Tail to a Lightning Bug can turn an average day into a great one. The flash element seems to trigger a competitive or aggressive response in trout, prompting strikes from fish that might otherwise let a natural-colored nymph pass. On the Madison, Gallatin, and Yellowstone rivers, the Lightning Bug is a consistent producer from spring through fall.