NymphRed Fox Squirrel Nymph
The Red Fox Squirrel Nymph is a nymph pattern designed by Bob Lindquist. This effective pattern combines traditional materials with proven techniques for consistent results in a variety of water conditions.
Spring, Summer, Fall
Advanced
Trout
Feb 2026
Overview
Bob Lindquist developed this pattern using red fox squirrel dubbing, which blends guard hairs and underfur for natural bugginess and translucency. The spiky texture suggests legs and gills of various nymphs while the mottled coloration matches many aquatic insects. Lead wire weight gets the fly into the strike zone quickly. This pattern excels as a general searching nymph when specific hatch matching isn't required, working for stoneflies, mayflies, and caddis larvae.
Materials
Hook: Mustad 3906B 14
Weight: bead head
Thread: Grey
Tail: squirrel back
Rib: orange pearl flashabou
Abdomen: Whitlock's Slf blends Red fox squirrel nymph
Legs: pumpkinseed sili legs
Thorax: Whitlock's Slf blends Red fox squirrel nymph
Hackle (optional): brown hen
Behavior & Presentation
Natural Behavior: Mayfly nymphs drift helplessly in the current after being dislodged from rocks during floods or angler wading, tumbling along without control. Fish position themselves in feeding lanes to intercept these involuntary drifters who cannot resist being swept directly into waiting mouths.
Where Trout Eat It: Highly productive in freestone streams with rocky substrates, tailwaters with consistent flows, spring creeks, and lake near rocky shoals or weed beds.
How to Fish It: Dead drift at depth, maintaining constant contact with the fly through high-sticking or tight-line techniques. Use a slight upstream cast and follow the drift with your rod tip to detect subtle takes.
Best Water: Highly productive in freestone streams with rocky substrates, tailwaters with consistent flows, spring creeks, and lake near rocky shoals or weed beds.
Strike Type: Watch for subtle indicator taps, brief pauses, or slight line tightening as fish mouth the drifting nymph. The spiky dubbing profile generates takes that may feel soft initially but become more distinct as trout close their mouths.
Fishing Strategy
Rigging Suggestions: Fish on a 9-12 foot leader with 4X-5X tippet. Add split shot 12-18 inches above the fly to reach the bottom quickly. Use a strike indicator in deeper runs or euro-nymphing techniques in pocket water.
Seasonal Timing: Productive year-round with peak effectiveness from April through October. Particularly effective during runoff (May-June) and feeding periods (September-November) when trout feed aggressively on large mayfly nymphs.
Pro Tips: The buggy profile and natural fox squirrel dubbing creates excellent movement in the current. Vary retrieve speed in lake to imitate swimming nymphs. Sizes 8-14 cover most situations.
Entomology
Mayfly nymphs drift helplessly in the current after being dislodged from rocks during floods or angler wading, tumbling along without control. Fish position themselves in feeding lanes to intercept these involuntary drifters who cannot resist being swept directly into waiting mouths.
- Order
- Ephemeroptera
- Common Name
- Mayfly
- Organism Type
- insect
- Life Stage
- nymph