Sleek, slender and heavy Euro-style nymphs are gaining popularity in the U.S., largely thanks to international fly-fishing tournaments where European anglers tend to take top honors more often than not. Make no mistake about it, these Perdigon-style nymphs catch fish.
Below, Loon Outdoors’ Matt Callies ties a larger variant of this Euro-style nymph — his own creation he calls the Flow Stone. Using colored-UV resin, Matt crafts a really handsome stonefly nymph that meets the traditional eye test for a big, subsurface nymph while also giving a significant nod to the Perdigon style, with ample coats of resin, heavy materials and a sparse, slender appearance.
Matt first tied the Flow Stone last year for use during high flows on his home river in northern California (the upper Sacramento). The idea was to craft a fly that might naturally appear in the river, but one that would sink quickly in high water. The Flow Stone’s sleek profile offers little in the way of water resistance, and it does, indeed, sink like a rock.
Make note, too, of the materials Matt uses. This fly looks like it takes a ton of effort and lots of practice to master, but it’s a fairly quick tie at the vise, and after a bit of practice, fishable flies will find their way into fly boxes.