Overview
The Turdigon was developed by Fly Fish Food as an innovative euro nymph that merges two popular approaches. The turkey biot body provides natural segmentation and movement while the UV resin coating adds durability and weight for faster sink rates in competition-style fishing. The pattern's slim profile and quick descent make it ideal for technical presentations in clear water. Various color combinations can be tied to match different mayfly species and water conditions.
Related patterns
Behavior & presentation
- Natural Behavior
- Sprawler mayfly nymphs cling to gravel and cobble in moderate currents, using splayed legs to maintain position while feeding on algae and detritus. When dislodged by rising flows or foraging movements, they tumble helplessly in the drift, becoming easy targets for opportunistic trout.
- Where Trout Eat It
- Trout hold tight to bottom in 3-5 foot fast pocket water. The UV resin body sinks within 3-5 seconds, getting the slim mayfly profile into feeding lanes before refusals.
- How to Fish It
- Fish euro nymphing with tight-line contact. Lead the drift to keep the tungsten bead ticking bottom through technical water.
- Best Water
- Target fast pocket water behind boulders and riffle edges where quick sink rate matters.
- Strike Type
- The UV resin body's smooth surface causes quick releases if hook sets are delayed, so respond to any sighter flicker or line straightening immediately. Strikes register as brief interruptions in the drift pattern—millisecond hesitations that require hair-trigger reactions to convert.
Fishing strategy
- Rigging Suggestions
- Use in euro nymphing setups with 9-11 foot leaders and 5X-6X fluorocarbon tippet. Fish as the point fly in tandem rigs, paired with a lighter nymph or emerger pattern as the dropper.
- Seasonal Timing
- and summer mayfly hatches from March through September, particularly during Baetis and PMD emergences. Also productive in fall when smaller mayfly species are active.
- Pro Tips
- Sinks very quickly due to combination of tungsten bead and UV resin coating, reaching depths of 3-5 feet rapidly in moderate currents. The dark profile with peacock thorax creates subtle flash that attracts attention without spooking wary fish.
Where to fish it
Rivers anglers pair with this fly, with local shops that stock it.
River details and fly shops from River & Run, our sister site.
Entomology
Sprawler mayfly nymphs occupy depositional habitats where fine sediments accumulate, using splayed legs to distribute weight and prevent sinking into soft substrates. These nymphs become particularly vulnerable during stream discharge fluctuations when dropping water levels strand them in exposed shallows or rising flows mobilize accumulated sediments, forcing mass drift events that concentrate protein-rich biomass into narrow feeding lanes exploited by opportunistic feeders.
- Order
- Ephemeroptera
- Common name
- Mayfly
- Organism
- insect
- Life stage
- nymph
Pattern details
- Moving Water
- Europe
- Rocky Mountain
- tight-line-nymph
- competition
- dead-drift
- baetis-hatch
- modern
- low-clear-water
- tailwater
- freestone
- spring-creek