A large mayfly nymph with a tapered dubbed body, soft gills and a dark protective back.
The index displays two Green Drake Nymph images. This page gives one fully specified large mayfly recipe based on Mike Mercer’s published Poxyback dressing; the source index does not specify its pictured recipe.
Work through the numbered steps in order, using the materials list and written proportions as your guide.
01
Mount bead and tail
Slide the bead onto the hook, start olive thread behind it, and tie three pheasant-tail fibers at the bend as a short tail.
02
Set the back materials
Secure copper wire, two turkey strips and two soft aftershaft feathers at the tail base, leaving working lengths behind the hook.
03
Dub and cover the abdomen
Dub a tapered body to about two-thirds of the shank. Pull aftershaft forward as gills, lay turkey strips over it, and rib the abdomen with open copper turns.
04
Prepare the wingcase
Fold the turkey strips back out of the way and build a broad olive-brown thorax with dubbing.
05
Add legs and wingcase
Attach sparse grouse or hen fibers on both sides, then draw each turkey strip forward over the thorax and tie it off behind the bead.
06
Finish the back
Whip finish, keep the eye open, and add a thin UV coating only to the turkey wingcase.
Beyond the bench
On the water.
Drift it near the streambed before green drake activity and experiment with a shallower presentation when nymphs begin moving upward.