July Gomphus Patterns

article & flies by Fred Curtis

This month of the year up at the lodge is a great time to spend foraging along the banks of Moosebyte Lake looking for the hatching insects that make up the vast food chain of our ecosystem.

Today, I'm in luck, there they are! Those fat, short, and lively one inch denizens of the lake, Gomphus.

This nymph of the order Odonata, (odus, a tooth: referring to large mandibles) is a juicy mouthful for rainbow trout. Damsels and Dragonflies, as we know them in terrestrial stage are only a short time above the surface of the water, but as the nymph these are food for trout for as long as three years.

To watch as these nymphs migrate to the shores and emerge from water to air is nothing less than spectacular for us to witness. At this happening, trout and other fish can go into a real feeding frenzy. Today is the start of a major hatch which could last up to two weeks.

I have two favorite ways to fish: these being one on a wet line with floating fly and the other on a sink tip line with a weighted fly.

The floating gomphus I tie with Deerhair, colored and clipped, tied to a short leader (usually a little longer than the weed height) attached to a fast sinking line. This way you can fish the weed beds with the line on the bottom and the fly moving above the weeds with gentle pulls approximately 4 to 6 inches.

The sinking Gomphus fly I tie is called Bobs Deadly Dragon or the BDD. This is fished by using a 3, 4, or 5 speed sinking line (depending on the depth you are at) and retrieving in 3 or 4 quick 8 to 10 inch pulls, then hesitate and repeat.

Try these two methods, you'll enjoy.

Pattern # 1 D.H.Gomphus

Hook - Mustad 94840-8
Thread - Green or Brown
Body - Spun/clipped Deer hair
Legs - Rubber (Brown) or Pheasant tail
Color - can be adjusted with felt pens

Pattern # 2 B.D.D.

This fly can be wrapped with 6 or 8 turns of lead wire
Thread - Black
Hook - Mustad 79580-6 or 8
Body - #50 Ligas (olive dubbing)
Black Hackle palmered over body
Wing - Pleasant tail fibres at 45 degrees
Wingcase - Mallard Flank
Head - #12 Ligas (black dubbing)