The Amphibious Damsel is Back

Ring the dinner bell

Foam bodied damsel had to make do

For those that read the blog and watch our videos or see photos posted here and there, you know we're really dorky fans of throwing adult damsel imitations to insanely wild surface feeding fish. If you've never seen full-on search-and-destroy damsel adult eating surface action, you've not lived. To paint the picture, you'll see fish after fish tracking these blue (and olive) flittering bugs from under water. Then, with perfect timing, they'll launch themselves out of the water on an intercept course to engulf the dainty insect in the air. Nothing but net!

I won't recount the story of the Amphibious

Adult Damsel

damsel (read about it here), but it's Cheech's creation and in the past year has become a staple in my fly box for these types of situations. The only problem is that the material to tie them was no longer produced and my last batch of bodies was depleted earlier this spring. So we went on the hunt and came up with a source of our own. After various dye sessions, I got the light blue color I wanted and we're now geared up with these custom bodies on the store.

The key, I've found, with adult patterns is that the bodies need to be slim -- just like the naturals. I've had times where the fish would refuse a decently colored and sized foam body that had a thicker profile and they would smash the Amphibious.

Braided Damsel Bodies

Another key, as we've been experimenting, is the ability of an adult pattern to float but get yanked underwater from time to time. The effectiveness of the Amphibious is, I'm convinced, due to the fact we can drive it into the water just like a female diving to lay eggs. The braided material on the body is perfect for that. Slim enough to float yet, not so buoyant that you can't get it to dive with a quick tug.

Anyway, the damsel hatches are winding down for the year, but there's still time to get some tied up and head out for some awesome fishing.

Damsel Party on the Boat

Here's a recap of the recipe and video:

Material List

Hook: Allen D102BL #10 -- Buy Here --
Thread: UTC Ultrathread 70 Denier Black or Blue  -- Buy Here --
Eyes: 50# mono burned ends
Tail: Adult damsel body braid --Buy Here-- (Stripes made with black sharpie)
Wing: Medallion sheeting - buggy light dun, clear or white  -- Buy Here --
Legs: Grizzly hackle. Try the new Hebert Miner Capes for these. Awesome price!!
Floatation: 2mm tying foam, Blue.  -- Buy Here --