Frank Sawyer's Nymphs

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joaniebo
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Frank Sawyer's Nymphs

Post by joaniebo » Wed Dec 05, 2018 9:55 am

I posted this on the "Sparse Grey Matter Forum" but I got a request to also post it here on the "Flymph Forum".

A few pics to enjoy, including some of the Sawyer-tied nymphs sent to me by a friend who knew the Sawyer family
Attachments
gmflyfish's Sawyer Nymphs.jpg
gmflyfish's Sawyer Nymphs.jpg (292.62 KiB) Viewed 134190 times
Margaret Sawyer's Nymphs.jpg
Margaret Sawyer's Nymphs.jpg (139.56 KiB) Viewed 134190 times
Frank Sawyer Nymph Card.jpg
Frank Sawyer Nymph Card.jpg (524.47 KiB) Viewed 134190 times
joaniebo
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Re: Frank Sawyer's Nymphs

Post by joaniebo » Wed Dec 05, 2018 10:09 am

In addition, here's a link to see how Frank Sawyer tied his Pheasant Tail Nymph plus his PT dry fly that used a red (brown) hackle tied in with silk thread. Enjoy.

daringduffer
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Re: Frank Sawyer's Nymphs

Post by daringduffer » Wed Dec 05, 2018 10:34 am

Funny. Both Ronnie and Lars-Åke are friends of mine.

dd
Bazzer69
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Re: Frank Sawyer's Nymphs

Post by Bazzer69 » Wed Dec 05, 2018 12:07 pm

Thanks for posting. Although I hail from the country once called Great Britain this is the first time I’ve seen a genuine Saywer Nymph. Is there any chance of a close up of his Red PT and the Killer Bug? I’m interested to see the colour of the wire etc he used. He did write a very small book on his upstream nymphing which I once owned but sadly do not any longer. I suspect his source of wire was the lacquered red that was found in small transformers and the like. What strikes me the most about these photos is the fact that they all are pretty “scruffy”. Look at the difference between the top Killer Bug and the bottom one.
Barry
Love both fly fishing and fly tying, been doing it for a while
But not much good at either
joaniebo
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Re: Frank Sawyer's Nymphs

Post by joaniebo » Wed Dec 05, 2018 12:25 pm

Barry

Hope this is a little better.

Bob
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Frank Sawyer's Nymphs scanned 120518.JPG
Frank Sawyer's Nymphs scanned 120518.JPG (160.21 KiB) Viewed 134166 times
Bazzer69
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Re: Frank Sawyer's Nymphs

Post by Bazzer69 » Wed Dec 05, 2018 12:31 pm

joaniebo wrote: Wed Dec 05, 2018 12:25 pm Barry

Hope this is a little better.

Bob
Yes it is,
Many thanks
Love both fly fishing and fly tying, been doing it for a while
But not much good at either
joaniebo
Posts: 685
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2014 12:24 pm

Re: Frank Sawyer's Nymphs

Post by joaniebo » Wed Dec 05, 2018 12:35 pm

Barry

If you download the pic and look at it closer, the colors are a lot better and easier to see

Bob
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letumgo
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Re: Frank Sawyer's Nymphs

Post by letumgo » Wed Dec 05, 2018 1:09 pm

Thanks Bob, for sharing these treasures. I love seeing the originals. The pics give a good sense of the slender proportions Sawyer tied.
Ray (letumgo)----<°))))))><
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daringduffer
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Re: Frank Sawyer's Nymphs

Post by daringduffer » Wed Dec 05, 2018 1:53 pm

Nymphs tied by mrs Margaret Sawyer are still available:

Image

http://www.flyhookfiller.se/bastsaljare/sawyerpt.html


Image

http://www.flyhookfiller.se/bastsaljare/sawyergg.html

Image

http://www.flyhookfiller.se/bastsaljare/sawyerss.html

Image

http://www.flyhookfiller.se/bastsaljare/sawyerkb.html

They all cost SEK 200 per dozen. It's the same source as my silk reference chart and some of my silk collection.

dd
Greenwell
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Re: Frank Sawyer's Nymphs

Post by Greenwell » Wed Dec 05, 2018 9:01 pm

Bazzer69 wrote: Wed Dec 05, 2018 12:07 pm Thanks for posting. Although I hail from the country once called Great Britain this is the first time I’ve seen a genuine Saywer Nymph. Is there any chance of a close up of his Red PT and the Killer Bug? I’m interested to see the colour of the wire etc he used. He did write a very small book on his upstream nymphing which I once owned but sadly do not any longer. I suspect his source of wire was the lacquered red that was found in small transformers and the like. What strikes me the most about these photos is the fact that they all are pretty “scruffy”. Look at the difference between the top Killer Bug and the bottom one.
Barry

Barry,

The wire color in the Sawyer nymphs I have on the original cards is much more a copper brown than the red that everyone expects. I will try to shoot a couple close up photos of them if I can. In the meantime, here is a shot of one of my PTs tied with wire that is very close to the original. (I have experimented with various wires for PTs for many years and have found that color doesn't seem to matter: size and suppleness are more important. The very best that I have found is some inexpensive stuff from India!)
Pheasant Tail Nymph.jpg
Pheasant Tail Nymph.jpg (158.96 KiB) Viewed 123502 times
This fly is on a TMC 3769 size 14, a shorter hook than Sawyer used but one that has been my choice for these flies for over 30 years. Sight fishing with PT nymphs is by far my favorite method of fly fishing. It's a stalker's game and demands a great deal of observation and concentration. I have never tired of it.
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