Grabbit Nymph
By Andy Burk
The Grabbit Nymph was originally created, as many flies are, from a very specific need. A friend of mine, who spends a good portion of his year in New Zealand, angling for the wily Brown and Rainbow Trout that swim in the gin clear waters, called me up one day. He asked if I could possibly tie him a really fast sinking, lively nymph that would, as he put it, “Get the fishes attention”.
“Your Aggravator Nymph works some of the time but I need something a little more compact and less intrusive looking” he told me. Give a fly-tier a problem and that fly-tier will try to come up with an answer.
I sat down at the bench that night and started working on the fly that would become the Grabbit. After a few fits and starts I thought maybe a reduced version of my Aggravator Nymph would be the answer. I hurriedly tied up a few of these and along with about four other designs, took them to the Post Office the next day, and sent them off to New Zealand. The fly didn’t have a name at this point and to tell the truth, I forgot about it until I got a call from the angler about a month later.
“ I need about three or four dozen of those flies you sent”.
“Which one”, I asked.
“The little short tailed thing that looked a bit like the Aggravator” he replied.
I quickly told him that was no problem and I would get right to work on them. “I need ‘em quick man, when I put it in front of the fish they grabbit” the angler excitedly told me. BAM!, an instant fly name!
Since then, this simple quick sinking nymph has caught Trout, Steelhead, Bass, Salmon, Carp and Panfish. I hope you’ll find it a useful addition to your fly box. Here’s how to tie it.
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