Frank Sawyer (writer) - Frank Sawyer Nymphs

Frank Sawyer Nymphs

Sawyer is probably best remembered for the development of the ‘sunken nymph’ and the associated nymphing technique sometimes called the Netheravon Style. Sawyer’s nymphs were innovative in that they were tied with fine copper wire instead of silk or thread. This allowed the nymphs to sink and also gave them a translucent colouring when under water. Sawyer advocated the ‘sink and draw’ method of nymphing where the nymph was allowed to sink and then made to ‘swim’ towards the surface by drawing in the line or slowly lifting the rod tip. This was coupled with the ‘induced take’ where the nymph was made to swim up in front of a fish thereby inducing the fish to take. The Netheravon style of nymph fishing learnt from Frank Sawyer was initially popularised by the naturalist, fly fisherman and television presenter Oliver Kite in his 1963 book, republished with a biographical introduction by Robert Spaight in 2000 Nymph Fishing in Practice.

The Pheasant Tail Nymph was the first and still most widely used of Sawyer’s weighted nymphs. It is tied with fine copper wire and the tail feathers of the European cock pheasant. The Pheasant Tail Nymph is designed as a generic nymph pattern and imitates any of the dark coloured swimming nymphs.

The Grey Goose Nymph was tied in exactly the same manner as the Pheasant Tail Nymph but tied with light grey goose feathers. The Grey Goose nymph is a generic pattern designed to imitate the lighter coloured swimming nymphs.

The Sawyer Swedish Nymph was designed during Frank Sawyer’s visit to the Storan River system in Sweden with the famous Scandinavian fishermen Nils Farnstrom. Sawyer wrote about this trip in Nymphs and the Trout. The Sawyer Swedish Nymph is tied with a dark grey goose feather that matches the nymph of the Summer Mayfly.

Sawyer developed the Killer Bug as a means of controlling grayling numbers on the River Avon where at the time it was considered vermin. The Killer Bug is designed to imitate the freshwater shrimp but also looks similar to a hatching sedge. The Killer Bug was named by Sawyer’s friend Lee Wulff. It is tied with large amounts of copper wire and light beige wool. Originally the Killer Bug was tied with a wool called Chadwick’s 477. When production of this wool ceased in 1965 Sawyer switched to a specially produced copy. In fly fishing circles the original Chadwick’s 477 wool is considered to have mythical fish-catching properties with lengths of the wool selling for hundreds of pounds.

The Bow Tie Buzzer was the last of Sawyer’s nymphs. It has a unique design than allows the hook to rotate freely on the tippet. The Bow Tie Buzzer is designed to imitate the large midge larvae found in still waters. The pattern is tied with pheasant feathers and tin foil with a white wool ‘bow tie’ used to imitate the cilia. The Bow Tie Buzzer must be attached to the tippet in a specific manner in order to allow the pattern to function properly. First the hook is threaded onto the tippet and allowed to run up and down the line freely. Secondly, a piece of white wool is tied on to the very end of the tippet. This stops the free-running hook from coming off the end of the tippet. Once cast onto still water, the hook can rotate freely in the same manner as natural midge larvae.

The Frank Sawyer Nymphs are still sold today by Sawyer Nymphs Ltd. These nymphs are tied in the original manner and made with the traditional materials used by Sawyer.