| The Montana is a medium/big
size nymph with excellent “stimulating”
qualities, useful during our first attempts to induce
an apathetic fish to take our fly. This artificial
has a strong alluring power because it looks quite
similar to various aquatic invertebrates: the trout
may actually think it’s either a young stonefly
with dark colours, a leech or a dragonfly nymph. What
I consider to be irresistible for the fish is the
particular combination of colours of the materials
used, which helps the nymph to be well visible, even
in turbid waters and in light conditions, without
being too flashy and frightening for the shyest trout.
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| THE DRESSING |
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Step 1:
I start to build the Montana by inserting the hook
into the vice jay and then wind, in narrow coils,
a piece of fine lead wire along its shank.
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Step 2:
I secure the black thread to the hook and use it to
cover the lead turns partially. Next I bind in two or
three tips of black hackles on the hook bend: these
hackles represent the fly tails and they have to extend
backwards nearly half the length of the hook shank. |
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Step 3:
On the fixing point of the tails, I add the end of
a black chenille length. |
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Step 4:
Turning the chenille around the two rear thirds of the
hook shank, I realise the abdomen. The chenille surplus
is not cut, but stopped on the upper part of the hook:
in this way it will be used during the next steps to
create the elytrums. |
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Step 5:
On the side of the chenille surplus, I fix two more
pieces of chenille, the first black and the second
yellow, and the tip of a small black cock hackle. |
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Step 6:
Wrapping the yellow chenille around the hook section
interposed between the abdomen and the eye, I create
the thorax, along which I wind, in wide turns, the black
hackle.
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Step 7:
I cut off the waste end of the hackle, and then separate
the feather fibres at the top. With my left hand fingers,
I pull them down and back. Then I push the two lengths
of black chenille forwards, placing them to cover
the upper part of the thorax, and I secure them just
behind the hook eye.
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Step 8:
I realise the fly head with a few turns of the black
thread, which is finished with a whip-finish and a drop
of clear glue. |
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Step 9:
My showy nymph is now ready to be used to tempt a
trout sensible to wealthy and stimulant “preys”.
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FLY
OF THE MONTH 
