Blowtorch Nymph

The Blowtorch Nymph is a relatively new fly fishing pattern that was created in the early 2000s by Idaho fly tyer Jesse Riding. It is meant to imitate baetis mayfly nymphs.

The pattern uses peacock herl for the abdomen, giving it an iridescent greenish-blue color like many mayfly nymphs. 

A tungsten beadhead helps get the fly down quickly in the water column. The Blowtorch Nymph often has an orange hot spot behind the beadhead to make it visually stand out to trout. The name comes from this bright hot spot color combined with the peacock herl, said to resemble the flame of a blowtorch.

The heavy beadhead allows the Blowtorch Nymph to be fished with a dead drift technique, making multiple drifts through prime trout habitat to imitate mayfly nymphs drifting downstream. The unique coloration and materials are designed to trigger strikes from selective trout. It has become a popular fly pattern for fishing blue-winged olive mayfly hatches across the trout streams of North America.