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Larva Lace has been around for years. It's applications range from ribbing material, to extended bodies, to legs, and even
pincers on crayfish patterns. This pattern calls for Larva Lace to
be woven using the age old "granny" technique. If you are not yet
familiar with this technique, please click
here for a complete, step-by-step tutorial.
This fly is not a correct anatomical representation of anything.
Instead, proven factors were combined to create a fictitious nymph which
undoubtedly has a lot of fish-appeal. These factors include a
pronounced biot tail, a 2 tone woven body, multiple wingcases, 3 sets of
long, jointed legs, mono eyes, and very fine antennae. Once tied,
the short, fat nymph is sure to catch the attention of a brown, brookie or
even steelhead if presented tumbling along the riverbed.
The idea for this fly came from a similar, stone fly nymph pattern that a
13 year old boy tied in London, Ontario. His flies are readily
available for sale at Jay's Fly Shop, and are quite remarkable for a tyer
of any age, let alone 13 years old.
Note: This pattern calls for intermediate to advanced fly
tying skills. The granny weave technique is a must.
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Larva Lace Super Stone Nymph |
| Hook: |
Mustad streamer (2x long) size 8 |
| Thread: |
Black UNI 8/0 |
| Tail: |
Black goose biots |
| Underbody: |
Black Hare-Tron dubbing over lead wire. |
| Body: |
Black and yellow Larva Lace body
material, woven. |
| Wingcases: |
Doubled up black Thin Skin. |
| Thorax: |
Black Hare-Tron dubbing. |
| Legs: |
3 sets of lacquered black saddle hackle
fibers, curved to shape using a heated bodkin. |
| Eyes: |
Black plastic or burnt mono eyes. |
| Antenna: |
Fine black quill body tips. |
Tying the Larva Lace Super Stone Nymph:
1. Secure a size 8 (2x long) straight shank hook in the vise
and start the thread.
2. Move your thread to the beginning of the bend in the hook
(directly above the barb) and tie in 2 goose biots so that they splay away
from each other.
3. Using small diameter lead wire, create a base layer of
lead wraps, starting from the back of the hook and working forward.
When you approach the eye of the hook, leave some space and start wrapping
back towards the gape, creating a second layer of lead wrappings.
This is done for 2 reasons; to give the fly the weight it will need to hug
the bottom of the water column, and to give the fly that bulky "fat" look
we need to achieve. Once the lead is in place, trim the excess and
secure with thread, ending up at the back of the shank.
4. Tie in 2 - 6" strands of Larva Lace body material, one
black, one yellow along the shank of the hook (one strand of Larva Lace on
each side of the shank, further enhancing the profile). The strands
should hang as if part of the tail at the end of this step.
5. Apply a generous dose of black Hare-Tron dubbing to 2/3 of
the hook shank, creating a large, buggy underbody. By this point the
body should be substantially fat and wide. Add a couple half hitch
knots to prevent the thread or the underbody from unraveling later on.
6. Using the granny weave method (click
here for a step-by-step tutorial) weave the 2 strands of
Larva Lace forward, black on top, yellow on the bottom. Continue to
weave until the dubbing section of the underbody is completely covered.
Tie off the 2 strands of Larva Lace and trim the excess.
7. Strip away 2 sections of a black saddle hackle so that the
strands are approx 1/16" wide, and close to the length of the hook shank.
Tie in one strand on each side of the fly, right at the base of the woven
body. Coat the hackle strands with a thin layer of head cement so
the fibers stick to each other and let dry.
8. Cut 2 identical wingcases out of black Thin Skin.
Fold the Thin Skin over when cutting so that each wingcase is actually
"doubled up". This improves the black color of the wingcase
and makes it more durable.
9. Peel away the paper backing from the Thin Skin and tie in
the first wingcase at the base of the woven body. Trim the excess.
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Written By: Nick Pujic, Feb 2004
Photographs By: Nick Pujic © 2004
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