Bird's Nest
by Martin Molnar

The birds nest was designed by the late Cal Bird.  Ralph Cutter deems it his favorite nymph on all western trout rivers and streams and adds the following:  "Fish it dead drift in the film or along the bottom with a split shot to mimic a nymph.  It can be fished on the swing to imitate an ascending caddis pupae or stripped along the edges of weed beds to simulate a swimming nymph or baitfish.  It is deadly when treated with Tite Lines Dry Fly Powder or Orvis' Ultra Float to make it repel water and hold air bubbles.  These bubbles look very much like a subsurface ovipositing caddis."

Popular colors for this fly are Tan, Cream, Olive, and Brown; all of which work well on our local waters including The Tuolumne, Stanislaus, and Merced Rivers. It can be tied weighted or unweighted, and with or without bead.  The original pattern was a precise blend of fur not seen in today’s commercial versions. 50% gray Australian Opossum, 40% Hare’s Mask (with guard hairs intact) and 10% Natural Baby Seal fur.

Online Tutorial for the Bird's Nest

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