Our man in Bosnia has been on the tools again ...

by Richard Fieldhouse

Our 'man in Bosnia' has been at it again - with some more very tempting nymphs - especially tied for success in September and October.

We try to plan all of our fly selection at least 3 months in advance, when asked what we were planning for the end of the river trout season, we wanted to do something a little different, so we asked him to surprise us and tie something which he would use himself on rivers and stillwaters, for Trout, Grayling and Softmouth Trout in Bosnia.

His reply was "I will tie you a few specialist nymph patterns, which are the first I try on any waters in September and October, they're called a Fazanov nymph" - this had us intrigued, we had no photos to go on, so we trusted his judgement and said, "go for it".

The first time we saw these was when they were delivered to us on Tuesday. It's safe to say we were very (very) impressed!

Check out these Bosnian bad boys ...

*No, that's not a bead - it's a small unweighted nymph - called a Fazanov.

These Fazanov nymphs (Fazanov is Bosnian for Pheasant) are tied to exacting standards, are unweighted and include a small bead of coloured UV resin at the head and a Coq de Leon split tail.

I asked 'our man in Bosnia' what makes them so special, and he replied with:

"These flies are tied on the correct hook (AHREX FW505), in the correct size (size 18 - see below for specifications) and perfectly weighted to not only imitate ascending nymphs - like all other nymph patterns - but these catch the majority of fish when they are descending through the water column, they don't dive headfirst (like a beaded fly), they gently fall through the water which is much more lifelike"

The specialist hook used is the AHREX Short Shank Barbless Dry hook:

  • Hook Size: 18
  • Hook Length: 8.28mm
  • Hook Gape: 3.60mm
  • Wire Diameter: 0.45mm
  • Finish: Blak Nickel

Our Bosnian Fazanov Nymph Selection contains 12 nymphs (4 different colours, 3 of each all tied on AHREX FW505 barbless hooks in a size 18).

As we've only got 50 of these Bosnian Fazanov Nymph Selections available, I'll get straight down to the offer:

SPECIAL OFFER, FOR TODAY ONLY:

  • Buy 1 Selection of Bosnian Fazanov Nymphs for £24; or
  • Buy 2 Selections for only £42.

No discount codes, just add two Bosnian Fazanov Nymph Selections to your basket and the discount is applied automatically. To view or buy our Bosnian Fazanov Nymph Selection, just click on any image or button contained within this email.

REMEMBER: If you order before 1pm and choose our 1st Class Tracked option at the checkout your order will arrive the very next day - assuming you're in the UK of course!

Keep reading for more info and detailed images of the nymphs - you'll be glad you did ... we've also got a nice tip & video at the very bottom of this email from a French nymphing master on how to build your own Nymphing Indicator Leader.

As you can see, these Fazanov nymphs look very 'buggy' when wet:

So what nymphs are best for tempting those later season trout (and early grayling)?

Usually, trout look to nymphs when feeding in the later season/colder water as the dry fly action tends to dramatically reduce as the water temperature cools. These smaller nymphs have been tied to fish as naturally as possible, with the UV resin adding a small amount of weight - keeping your nymph where it needs to be.

Late-season nymph fishing is more about finding the fish, so it's important to keep on the move and only pass your nymphs through a lane a couple of times (see below) - if there's a fish there they will usually take it straight away.

Top Tip: if you are fishing in coloured water, use the Fluorescent Green or Orange Fazanov Nymph.

Generally, the water levels in September are starting to rise, so we've also added a small amount of coloured UV resin to the superb AHREX FW505 Short Shank barbless hook to create a hot-spot trigger point, but also to add a small amount of weight.

This selection of Fazanov nymphs includes 4 different colours, 3 each of the following:

  • Fluoro Green Fazanov Nymph (Raidzap Flex Fl. Green)
  • Fluoro Pink Fazanov Nymph (Raidzap Flex Fl. Pink)
  • Fluoro Orange Fazanov Nymph (Raidzap Flex Fl. Orange)
  • Black Fazanov Nymph (Raidzap Black Widow)

These specialist Trout & Grayling nymphs are all tied on Size 18 AHREX FW505 Short Shank barbless hooks.

Please Remember: Our special offer on these will close at midnight tonight - 1 set for £24, or 2 sets for £42.

We've only 50 of these selections available, so if you want a set, you will need to be quick - Our Bosnian flies always sell out within a few hours of being released!

Go on, treat yourself - you know you want to - at £24 for the selection, these will not hang around for long!

With the majority of fishing in the latter months taking place under the water surface, nymphing is the obvious choice. But I often get calls from customers asking how best to detect bites/takes when you cannot see the fly, I personally find that the using a bi-coloured indicator is by far the best option.

Let the nymphing maestro that is Stan Freyheit - he of Ceramic Nymphs fame - show you have to build your own French Nymphing Indicator leader.

These are perfect for fishing the Fazanov nymphs:

It’s important to note that when nymphing, you have to be quite methodical and logical when fishing the river. I’ve always found the best way to do it is to imagine the river is split up into a number of lanes (just like a motorway):

  • Always fish the lane closest to you first from the bank before wading into the river (you’ll be amazed at how many fish you catch that you would have just waded through!).
  • Once you have fished that lane, step into the river and fish the next lane out.
  • Then repeat (assuming it’s safe to wade into the middle of the river).
  • Once you have fished the width of the river as best you can, carefully wade back to your starting point and take a step up stream and repeat the whole process again.

It’s always better to cast into each lane quite a few times and let the nymph(s) do their work, generally though if there’s a fish around it will take the nymph within the first couple of drifts.

Tight lines & improve your nymphing skills this weekend.

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