Polly’s Muskrat Nymph

This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is Polly’s Muskrat Nymph.

A couple of weeks ago, I presented Polly’s Fledermouse Nymph and thought since I had used muskrat, I’d highlight another nymph utilizing the same material. It’s a simple fly to tie with the most difficult aspect is locating the natural materials of muskrat and beaver.

This is a simple fly pattern, but as Polly describes in his book, he rolls the dubbing into a noodle. Then he ties it on the hook at one end and creates a dubbing loop with thread, twisting to create the segmented look.

Ernest H. “Polly” Rosborough (1902 – 1997) lived in Chiloquin, Oregon and his home river was the Williamson River.

Polly tied a large variety of flies but is probably best known as an author of Tying and Fishing the Fuzzy Nymph (1965).

I didn’t know much about the Fledermouse Nymph, but it’s one of the flies Polly wrote about in Tying and Fishing the Fuzzy Nymph (1965). Four years later, Orvis published the second printing, which is the copy I have.

Enjoy…go fish!