Henry Ramsay’s swimming Isonychia nymph, with an oval biot abdomen and an epoxy-coated, white-striped wingcase.
The source index labels a photograph “Epoxy Nymph” but gives no insect, tier or dressing recipe. This page presents Henry Ramsay’s separately documented Swimming Isonychia Nymph as a specific epoxy-wingcase exemplar. Its biot abdomen and white-striped black wingcase are not attributed to the source photograph.
Work through the numbered steps in order, using the materials list and written proportions as your guide.
01
Make the flattened foundation
Wrap wine thread over the hook and lash one short heavy-mono length on each side of the abdomen region. Cover the mono smoothly to create an oval rather than round cross section.
02
Set the tail, biot and stripe
Tie three short peacock-eye herl tips at the bend. Anchor a dark reddish-brown turkey biot by its tip and a length of white Brassie wire at the same point.
03
Build the abdomen
Wrap the biot forward over the oval foundation and secure it at the thorax point. Draw the white wire straight along the top of the abdomen, bind it down, and leave its remaining length for the thorax stripe.
04
Attach wingcase and dub thorax
Tie a narrow folded strip of black Thin Skin at the back of the thorax. Dub a full reddish-brown possum-fur thorax in front of it.
05
Place the legs
Select an English grouse feather and use a V-notch arrangement to bind matching fibers along each side of the thorax. Trim the surplus feather.
06
Close the black wingcase
Pull the Thin Skin forward over the thorax, tie it down behind the eye and trim it. Bring the remaining white wire forward over the center of the wingcase, secure it and break off the end.
07
Seal with epoxy
Whip finish, then mix five-minute clear epoxy and coat the top of the black wingcase from side to side without burying the legs or closing the hook eye. Allow it to cure completely.
Beyond the bench
On the water.
Swing this nymph across current and add short rod-tip twitches to suggest the swimming bursts of Isonychia nymphs. During emergence, work it toward stream-edge rocks where nymphs crawl out.