Dragonfly nymps - tail or no tail?

[saflyfish]

I see some dragonfly nymphs tied with a short tail and some without.
Ive seen pics of a dragon and they dont have tails,so why are they included in a pattern?

[Korrie]

it depends on the species, some dragon fly nymphs have a bit of tail, that does move.

Google "dragon fly nymphs, images" and have a look at all the different species of nymphs, quite interesting.

[GGY]

I see some dragonfly nymphs tied with a short tail and some without.
Ive seen pics of a dragon and they dont have tails,so why are they included in a pattern?

The "tail" is to give movement. All dragonfly nymphs propel themselves by expelling water out their anal vents.
http://www.troutnut.com/specimen/356

Since they have a torpedo shape, they can also be copied by a fur-strip, as in the papa roach. This also has movement.

Remember. Movement = LIFE = food for trout.

[AB1]

I dont want to hijack the thread but I have a question.

Has any one ever tied and fished dragonfly nymphs as weighted controll flies? With or without tails....

[GGY]

I dont want to hijack the thread but I have a question.

Has any one ever tied and fished dragonfly nymphs as weighted controll flies? With or without tails....

A tungsten-beaded Prince nymph imitates a dragonfly nymph (or stonefly nymph), as does a tungsten Copper John.

Depending upon the waters being fished, this can be an ideal control pattern.
This applies more in countries such as the USA & parts of Europe where a control STONEFLY is good choice.
Less so in SA.

[ArcherFish]

A dragonfly nymph imitation with a tail that catches fish doesn't necessarily mean that the fish sees the fly as a dragonfly per se.
Depends whether you want to catch fish with a fly that works or imitate a nymph that also works.

[Pipe]

Here is a dragon fly pattern that incorporates movement and shape http://truttablog.com/2013/03/24/the-fmd/#more-588

Dry:



Wet:



An easy tie if you use a dubbing loop or split thread