Carrot Nymph (GEM Skues pattern)

[letumgo]

Donald Nicolson wrote the following in another thread:

Skues devised a Carrot Nymph as a joke many years ago, trouble was it actually caught fish. I don't know if this is the one Mark used, but here is the recipe.

Carrot Nymph
Hook: Size 14 - 16 (in this case I used a Mustad Model R50-94840/Size 14)
Silk: Primrose silk (Pearsall's No. 3)
Tail: Green parrot feather-fibres or substitute (in this case I substituted green hen neck fibers).
Tag: Four turns of tying silk.
Body: Rear third - pale yellow wool, middle third - hot orange wool,
thorax - greenish seal’s fur (I didn't have any, so in this case I have substituted green pigs wool from our friend Bill Bailey).
Hackle: Short fibred olive-green hen (one turn of hen neck hackle - I probably should have used a shorter hackle and stripped one side, but I didn't).

I didn't want to hijack Karsten's post, so I figured I would post this separately. As soon as I read Donald's comment, I had to go to my vice and tye the Skues Carrot Nymph. If it's good enough for Skues, it's good enough for me. Somehow, this fly looks different than I had pictured in my head.

Thanks for posting the recipe, Donald. This was fun! This does look like a "fishy" pattern.

[willowhead]

That's beautiful Ray.......looks like a KILLER for fishing, and a nice show fly as well. The one i use to tye up & fish, just had an orange body with a gold rib, and i used dyed green Mallard for the collar & tail. Sometimes i would give it a thorax of Peacock herl.....but it really wasn't nessessary. i use to fish with it on the Connetquot River out on Long Island.....that famous Spring Creek that is loaded with Sea Run Trout.

[letumgo]

I know of another pattern called a Carrot Nymph, that sound close to the one you describe. I think I found it listed in one of Skip Morris's books. If I can find the reference, I will post the recipe.

[willowhead]

Here's a little tip for ya. If you ever go out to the Connetquot (you MUST have a reservation unless fishing with a club that has the river for the day), and find you can't get a beat. Get on the other (south, runnin' east), side of Sunrise Highway and pull off where you can find a pullout, and look for Rattlesnake Creek. It's right there near where the entrance to Connetquote State Park (and the river), is. Rattlesnake is also full of Trout, but hardly anyone fishes it because most of it is on private property. But there is access right there along the highway. It also (like the Connetquot), runs into the Atlantic Ocean.....so you never know whatcha gonna find swimmin' in there. If your serious, you'll find it. On the Connetquot, as long as you have a reservation, normally your guarenteed a beat........but, if you snooze (litterally ), you looze. The locals always seem to get the best beats (but they're all good) because they sleep in their cars in front of the entrance from 4 a.m.
i use to do a lotta that.........i'd just leave from work (the club), and get there even before most of the locals. Get out there from the village in bout an hour and 15 that time a night.....no traffic. Normally it's an hour and 40. Gate opens at 7 a.m.

[Kelly L.]

I like this one Ray. I thought I had made this fly, but I haven't. I made Carp Carrots. But it is an orange nymph. I think it used Hungarian Partridge for the hackle.

[fly_fischa]

That's pretty cool buddy, I love the flow (from my post to Donald's reply to your rendition of that reply) thanks for tying it. Not sure it looks like a carrot though, maybe a chernobyl carrot, the general was ahead of his time

Btw -

I didn't want to hijack Karsten's post, so I figured I would post this separately.

You should know you don't need to tread carefully with me old friend. If you decide to add to any of my post's, you're most welcome to. I would never consider it a hijack, you are far too thoughtful for that.

It would be cool to also have the pic in my post, so being cheeky I'm publicly stealing it

[DOUGSDEN]

Ray,
Really cool nymph! I am kinda like Kelly L. in that I used to tie an all orange bodied nymph (and even a wet version which works wonderfully well too!) with black hen fibers for the tail and peacock herl for the thorax and topped off with a turn or two at most at the head of again, black hen neck extending about half way down the hook shank just veiling the thorax. It wasn't until I read Ken Robsons book "The Essential G.E.M. Skues" that I finally got a handle on the reciepe (and humorous story behind it) that Skues came up with and realized how wrong my version was. I like yours! It seems funny that this fly shouldn't catch a fish. But, unlike my orange abortion, this one seems very likely to do just that!
Your talents never cease to amaze me! Great job friend! Everyone, let's dive into the patterns of G.E.M. Skues this winter! There are some dandies out there!
Food for winter time thought,
Dougsden

[willowhead]

Doug, you just made me realize...........now that we've lost our great contributor Wayne from Colorado...........i spose we won't be having the Caddis Pupa swap................ .......... ................. that suckx............i sure as heck have no time for bein' a swapmeister.

Karsten, you got the right attitude.

i'm gonna go consult my one & only (i think), Skues book...........

[DNicolson]

If you are looking for Skues Patterns go to
http://donaldnicolson.webplus.net/page71.html
I have listed his patterns from "Nymph Fishing for Chalk Stream Trout",

and "Patterns from various relatively modern lists"
http://donaldnicolson.webplus.net/page78.html
There should be enough patterns to keep you out of trouble.

I just did a count, that is 19 of Skews original recipes
and 8 from other books but attributed to Skews.

[DOUGSDEN]

Donald,
Thanks sooo much for the cool links to your web-site. Forgive me, but I had forgotten about your site and what a great resource it truly is!! I think I'll bug over there now and look around...again!
Your pal,
Dougsden

P.S. Skues was a dandy! He is one of my all time favorites not only for his patterns but for his writings!