The Pink Squirrel v2.1
There's a fly pattern over in the USA which works wonders for virtually all fish that swim in rivers, over the pond it's become a bit of a closely guarded secret in the guiding community, think of it as their equivalent of our Red-Neck PTN!
As our reach into the USA is pretty limited, I thought it was safe to make it more popular over here, whilst still keeping it secret over in the US.
I was put onto it by a guide (and long-time customer) Mike over in the Driftless region of the Midwestern United States, he uses it with all anglers new to fly fishing - because he wants them to catch a fish on their first trip to the water.
It's called the Pink Squirrel (originally devised by John Bethke), it is sometimes referred to as The Persuader - for obvious reasons!
It's not a fly which many anglers use over here (most have never even heard of it), but it works just as well - if not better for persuading Trout & Grayling in UK rivers (don't shy away from using them on droppers in stillwaters, especially when fishing near the lake bed).
If you Google "Pink Squirrel", what's the first thing that appears - no, it's not an AI-generated image of a pink squirrel ...
It is a cocktail:
One that contains:
- 3/4 Ounce Crème de Noyaux Liqueur
- 3/4 Ounce White Crème de Cacao Liqueur
- 1 1/2 Ounces Heavy Cream
- Freshly Grated Nutmeg, For Garnish
It doesn't say anything about tungsten or which hook to use!
The real recipe for a Pink Squirrel is:
- Size 12 to 18 Wide Gape Jig Hook (Gunmetal)
- 3.5mm to 2mm Tungsten Beads
- Semperfli Classic Waxed Thread - 8/0 Red
- Krystal Flash (for the tail)
- Squirrel Fur Dubbing
- Pink Dubbing Mix
The Pink Squirrel Nymph was originally designed by John Bethke:
It is probably one of the most popular trout nymph patterns used by guides in the Midwestern USA today. From chatting with Mike, he puts its success down to the specific dubbing material (squirrel) being very spiky and trapping air bubbles - which perfectly imitates ascending nymphs.
At the suggestion of Wisconsin-based Driftless area guide Mike, we have updated it to include a high-density tungsten bead, gunmetal-coloured jig hook and slimmed down the proportions and profile.
We've imaginatively called it the Pink Squirrel v2.1, we now send hundreds of them over to Mike in the USA every year:
Just before the epic rain a couple of weeks ago, I had a very interesting conversation with a good customer (who'd ordered some of our original size 18 Pink Squirrel's at this time last year).
He called to tell me to keep them a secret over here, they worked so well for late-season Grayling (and Trout in March & April) on his local river (The Kennet) - he didn't want anyone else to know about them!
I did him a deal - I sent him some of our new v2.1 patterns (which had just arrived at Barbless Flies HQ) to add to his collection on the understanding that I could write about them in one of our weekly missives.
Please Note: If you take a look at the end of this email you will find a quick run-down of a few techniques on how to get the best when fishing this type of nymph - especially useful in the coming weeks.
So here they are - Our Pink Squirrel v2.1 Selection:
Here we present our Pink Squirrel v2.1 Selection, the selection contains three each of sizes 12, 14, 16 & 18 - all tied on barbless jig hooks (in total there are 12 tungsten nymphs in this selection).
We've called it version 2.1 because we are now using a much higher quality of tungsten bead - the density of tungsten is higher, giving you more weight for the same physical size.
As we're pretty geeky about our nymphs, we've even weighed them:
- The Pink Squirrel v2.1 in a size 12 weighs 0.50g
- This Pink Squirrel v2.1 in a size 14 weighs 0.33g
- This Pink Squirrel v2.1 in a size 16 weighs 0.27g
- This Pink Squirrel v2.1 in a size 18 weighs 0.18g
That's a total of 12 Pink Squirrel v2.1 tungsten jigs at a heavily discounted price of only £21.50 (bought individually these would be £24.60), supplied in our eco-friendly packaging and includes FREE delivery to anywhere in the UK.
If you fancy a new home for your flies, we've also bundled one of our NEW Slimline Silicone Fly Boxes in with the Pink Squirrel v2.1 Selection - for only an extra £12.50.
That's a total of 12 Pink Squirrel v2.1 tungsten jigs plus a stunning slimline silicone fly box with a magnetic closure - for only £34.00 (bought individually these would be £39.60), and it includes FREE delivery.
*** We only have a small number of these selections remaining (37 to be exact), so you will need to be quick ***
*** I've already got mine safely stashed away in my fly box, otherwise, we would have had more! ***
If you have ever tried to cast a heavy multi-fly rig, you will know that you are just asking for trouble, if you cast in your normal style. Heavy flies and tight loops are a recipe for disaster (multiple tangles and broken rod tips!) - here are a few techniques you can deploy to make life a little easier when casting heavy (multi-fly) rigs:
- Widen Your Casting Arc - This opens up your loops and by default keeps the heavy rig away from the rest of your leader (and your fly rod - the last thing you want is a heavy bead hitting your pride and joy).
- Slow Down - By slowing your casting stroke you are immediately slowing down your line speed, this, in-turn reduces the kick (and associated slack line) which happens when a heavy nymph changes direction as a result of the cast.
- Increase The Fly Line Size by 1 - Overlining the rod by one size can improve your presentation when casting heavy rigs.
- Lift & Cast - Lift your rig to the surface of the river first, before starting the cast. By beginning your cast with your rod tip low, and taking up any slack in the system your cast will be more efficient.
- Use The Lob Cast - Simply, this is a low backcast to get the whole rig downstream of you. Wait for the river flow to take up the tension in the entire system, then push your rod tip forwards as you would for a normal cast, this will see your rig cast in an arc (or a 'lob') and enter the water, already under tension and ready to fish. The benefit of this cast is it keeps the entire rig away from your rod and is much easier to control, with the added advantage that the point fly enters the water first and is fishing effectively straight away.
The above techniques are best practised on a quiet stretch of water where there is no overhanging vegetation, get used to handling heavier rigs (you will need to need them this month and next!).
Get out there, lob some tungsten around and have fun!
