Here is a little background information on the Sparrow Nymph. This is just an all around super buggy looking fly that I would definitely put into the "confidence fly" category for myself. The Sparrow was originally designed and tied by Jack Gartside to imitate a wide variety of aquatic/terrestrial critters depending on what color and size it was tied in and how it was fished. It's kind of like a nymph, streamer, wet fly and even potential drowned hopper pattern all in one. There are many variations of this pattern and I'm sure most of them would catch fish. I'm tying this fly for the swap (in memory of his innovative style of fly tying) very close to Mr. Gartside's Original Sparrow that he designed and tied sitting on the banks of the Madison many, many years ago.
There is a part of fly tying that I still really enjoy about tying with totally natural materials in a day and age where we are constantly inundated with some really great synthetic tying materials. This version of the Sparrow is tied with all natural materials. Fooling a fish with a fly that is tied with just simply fur and feathers bound on the hook kind of has a small way of taking me back in time.
There is a lot of information about Jack Gartside on the internet today and his many creations and innovative style of tying flies. Good luck with the Sparrow.
Sparrow Nymph
Hook: Mustad R73-9671 size 8 (2XH,3XL)
Thread: Unithread 6/0 dark brown
Tail: Pheasant Marabou
Body: Rabbit and gray squirrel blended. Two parts squirrel to one part rabbit. Dubbing is brushed out to give the body a very ragged and buggy look. I also blended in a bit of olive rabbit fur (trimmed off of an olive zonker strip) to give the blend just a tint of olive because Gartside's Original Sparrow was tied with an olive body.
Hackle: Blueish-green well marked back feather from a male ringneck pheasant. Tied in soft hackle style extending back to the tail area.
Head: Pheasant Philo plume (aftershaft feather) tied in front of the hackle collar.
