Umpqua Passage's Magic Fly Tungsten BWO Nymph

Overview

The Magic Fly Tungsten is the bead-head version of Chris Passage's Magic Fly, tied by Umpqua, here in the BWO color. Passage is an Umpqua signature tyer from the Southern Rockies, and he built the fly for blue-winged olive and PMD hatches.

Like the original, it falls between an exact imitation and an attractor, with a ribbed body, dubbed thorax and synthetic wing that suggest a mayfly nymph, a midge or an emerger. The tungsten bead adds weight in a very small package, so this tiny fly gets down to fish holding near the bottom without extra split shot. Blue-winged olives hatch on most trout water in spring and fall, and the nymphs are a year-round food source on tailwaters.

Euro Specs

• Hook: Standard nymph hook.
• Role: Dropper. Its small size makes it a trailing fly behind a heavier anchor.

How to Fish It

• Indicator rig: trail it 14 to 18 inches behind a larger nymph on 6X or 7X tippet.
• Tight-line: use it as the upper dropper above a heavier tungsten point fly.
• BWO weather: overcast, drizzly days in spring and fall bring the strongest Baetis activity.
• Under the film: as the hatch starts, fish it shallower behind a small dry.

Choosing Color and Size

This listing is the BWO color in size 22, which matches the small Baetis nymphs found on tailwaters and spring creeks, especially in fall and winter.