One Ribbon Nymph

The One Ribbon Nymph is tied using just one size of cream artificial silk ribbon coloured with a couple of permanent marker pens

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The One Ribbon Nymph
The One Ribbon Nymph
Nick Thomas

I like tying and fishing single material flies. They are simple, cheap, easy to tie and they catch fish.

I tie several dry fly patterns which use just a single length of poly-yarn twisted and folded to form the tails, body and wing.

For nymphs I use either organza ribbon, or as in this case, silk ribbon. Most silk ribbons that you can buy are woven using artificial silk made from modified cellulose extracted from wood pulp or bamboo. It’s cheap, tough and biodegradable and with a little colouring and trimming makes nice looking flies.

Waterproof pens
Waterproof pens
Nick Thomas

The One Ribbon is tied using just 4mm cream artificial silk ribbon coloured with a couple of permanent marker pens. Five 8-10mm long sections of ribbon are used, although you’ll get more the one fly out of them.

I’ve used brown and black markers for the example here, but you could use olive, yellow or whatever colour combinations you prefer to match natural nymph species.

Before you start tying prepared the following:
One piece of uncoloured ribbon.
Two pieces coloured brown.
One piece of brown ribbon with black bars across.
One piece coloured black.

One Ribbon Nymph
One Ribbon Nymph
Nick Thomas

One Ribbon Nymph

Fly pattern, materials and tying steps

Nick Thomas
Materials
Hook Sprite S2200 #14
Thread 12/0 brown
Body & Tails 4mm silk ribbon and marker pens
  1. Run on the thread at the eye and take down to the bend and back.
  2. Cut the edge off the brown and black barred ribbon and strip out a few of the long fibres.
  3. Fold the fibres around the thread and tie down along the shank to form the tails.
  4. Cut the uncoloured and one of the brown ribbons in half lengthways and strip out the long fibres.
  5. Catch in at the bend and tie two thirds of the way up the shank.
  6. Wind forward in parallel to form the two-tone abdomen, tie in and remove the waste ends.
  7. Tie in the black ribbon hanging back over the abdomen.
  8. Cut the edge off the second brown ribbon, strip out all the long fibres and tie in.
  9. Wind forward, tie in and remove the waste.
  10. Pull the black ribbon forward to form the wing case, tie in and trim off the end.
  11. Build a neat head, whip finish and varnish.
Easy

Ribbon and nymph
Ribbon and nymph
Nick Thomas

Fishing a One Ribbon on an upland river.
Nick Thomas
Image gallery for One Ribbon Nymph

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