Notes:
 Designed by Guide Don Rotsma
of Portola, CA. Don guides mostly on Lake Davis near Portola. Lake Davis is reknowned for it's damsel
hatches and guides are reknowned for tying durable, simple patterns that they can provide their clients
which catch fish. Don extends the marabou tail to 2x's the hook length and knots the tail with thread for
a simple extended body. The thorax is dubbed around the shank with a scud back wingcase. Don also utilizes
Ice Dubbing Blend into the thorax dubbing and attaches Red-Mono eyes devised from Amnesia running line
for an attraction effect.
Colors of the damsel nymph can vary. Generally, dark colors are in the early stages of the hatch and they
will progress to a tan or golden brown. Don uses a color transition of Dark Olive, Brown, Black, Medium
Olive, Golden Olive, Tan, Golden Brown.
According to Don, "Damsels wiggle and are very clumsy swimmers. For that reason, they need to rest a lot in their journey. Think about it! That means they move SLOWLY and then STOP often. So retrieve accordingly. Use a slow retrieve and stop frequently. If fact, sometimes the best retrieve is no retrieve at all. We call this the "heave it and leave it" retrieve. If your retrieve is not working, try a different size nymph or different color before changing the technique. If that does not work, then try different retrieves." |
