Rickard's Callibeatis Nymph — Denny's Callibeatis Nymph

By Denny Rickard, submitted by Mike Cline.

Description

The Rickard’s Callibeatis Nymph is a stillwater attractor nymph pattern developed by Denny Rickard, a well-known figure in western stillwater fly fishing. Rickard is recognized for his expertise in stillwater techniques and has authored several books and videos on the subject Global FlyFisher. The pattern is designed to imitate the Callibeatis mayfly nymph, a dominant species in western trout lakes, and is especially effective when fish are feeding near the surface on midges or other bugs. The Callibeatis nymph is an impressionistic fly — it doesn’t perfectly replicate a single insect but instead mimics the look and movement of the nymph stage of the Callibeatis mayfly. It is typically fished in the top 2 feet of water with a floating or intermediate line, using a long leader (12–15 feet) to reduce surface disturbance www.flyfishingtraditions.com. The pattern is unweighted, allowing it to sit just below the surface, and can be retrieved slowly or left to drift.

Materials

• Body: Rabbit based nymph dubbing
• Hackle: Palmer Grizzly Hackle
• Tail: Wood Duck or Mallard dyed Wood Duck flank fibers
• Thread: UTC 70 brown
• Wing Case: Wood Duck or Mallard dyed Wood Duck fibers

Hooks

• Firehole 609 #14-12

Target species: Trout

Fly types: Nymph