Pogo nymph soft hackle.

[Mataura mayfly]

Over here, it is common to fish a team of either two nymphs, or a big dry indicator and a nymph. In each case the method used is to tie the point nymph off of the bend of the hook of the top fly. Just about all my fly fishing career I have used a #16 Pheasant Tail as the point fly- either plain, weighted or beaded as my fancy and the water depth/current dictated.
Last couple of seasons I have been using a heavy beaded nymph as the top fly and a Pogo nymph as the point.

How do you make a Pogo better?........... Add a soft hackle!



Hook: #14 1XL of choice
Thread: #12 to suit body colouration
Tail: 2 strands of krystal flash
Rib: Fine copper wire
Abdomen: Golden Pheasant tail fibres
Wingcase: 3-5mm Black Foam
Thorax: Brown Aussie possum with good guard hairs
Hackle: Partridge



Hook: #16 2XL slightly humped of choice
Thread: As above
Tail: As above
Abdomen: Brown possum underfur
Wingcase: As above
Thorax: As above
Hackle: Mottled Brown Hen

The whole idea of the Pongo is it bounces along the bottom, trying to rise (thanks to the foam wingcase), but it is held down by the front weighted nymph. A lot of Mayfly naturals glide along with the current before rising to the surface to emerge. The larger wingcase can give the illusion of wing buds about to burst forth.

[letumgo]

Very interesting. I had never heard of the pogo nymph before. Brilliant concept. I gotta give this pattern and method a try!

I am excited to see foam worked into a soft hackle design (blasphemy!). I've been kicking the idea around for a while, but keep getting distracted by more traditional materials. This combination and fishing method is very appealing. There are some stillwater patterns that are fished in a similar fashion (floating fly/sinking line). Deadly effective, from what I've read...

[Boris]

Nice fly Jeff.

As you know, we Aussies learnt the dropper method tied from the hook bend from you Kiwis...... and it's been a very successful method indeed over the decades. Also the pogo has been a good one for us too, especially for those fish down deep fixated on nymphs encountered on your island so often.

[hankaye]

Mataura mayfly, Howdy;

Like that concept, great looking flies.

hank

[Mataura mayfly]

Ray, that particular style (sans the hackle) became popular here thanks to a local slightly eccentric Scottish fly-shop owner and world class tier, Stu Tripney who has a wee "orgasmic" fly-shop in a one horse town called Athol just a few miles upstream from where I live. He is also a very good guide and certified casting instructor. But he has a real "thing" about foam, even put out a DVD called the Foam Odyssey which gives tying instruction for many of his foam specials, including the Pogo Nymph.
He uses them in stillwater on a floating line, so I guess I could try the same in current with these hackled flies as emergers. http://www.youtube.com/user/stusflyshop

Boris, as you know you Aussies pinch all our good ideas, Pavaloa, Phar Lap, Dragon.......... even your national rugby team coach!
You know Stu and the fact he is half mad..... but the other half comes up with some good ideas and he is "living the dream". His "Bionic" series of flies are well thought out and proven to work.

Hank, thanks, but as you can see it is a borrowed pattern...... just added hackle to see if it improves or not. I have heard of others adding lead wire under the abdomen and not droppering off another fly, but fishing it on it's own. Supposedly the fly then sinks tail first and floats the front up as you lift because of the foam. I have not tried this........ yet.

[Boris]

Boris, as you know you Aussies pinch all our good ideas, Pavaloa, Phar Lap, Dragon.......... even your national rugby team coach!

Oh..... I could have predicted this!

[letumgo]

Can't you Kiwi's and Koala's get along?

(friendly humor )

[Mataura mayfly]

Can't you Kiwi's and Koala's get along?

(friendly humor )

Funny thing is we do, put a Kiwi and an Aussie together pretty much anywhere in the World, add a bit of strife and they will be back to back fighting tooth and nail to help each other out. BUT the Earth would fall off its axis if there was not a bit of friendly banter back and forth over the ditch.
Boris knows it is all tongue in cheek and he brings a whole new set of ethnicity to the table.

[Roadkill]

Mm

POGO-Great idea for a diving SH technique, I think you should post this great "how to" in the fishing wingless wets section for readers as well as fly dressings. I have a place in my boxes for foam suspender nymphs tied to surface film fish and I have used floating Dragon nymphs with a sinking line. Now i have to make some pogo SHs probably with the foam tied in as a thorax. I think your tie makes a super SH emerger with a foam wingcase.

Thanks!

[Mataura mayfly]

Mm

POGO-Great idea for a diving SH technique, I think you should post this great "how to" in the fishing wingless wets section for readers as well as fly dressings.

Thanks!

The technique, or a tying step by step? I am no expert at either!