Jon's Generic

About a dozen years ago, I had been doing a good bit of float tubing on local ponds and sloughs. I felt I needed a smallish nymph to get the attention of crappie and bluegill, so I cranked out the first generic. I tied it in a couple of sizes...12 & 14; some were weighted & I tied those with red heads to make them easy to spot in my flybox.

I noticed the weighted ones were more productive. I proved this by switching flies when the bite was on to test each under the same conditions. The weight allowed me to control the fly's depth and this in turn gave me the ability to use a variety of retrieves that enhanced the action. It made sense that the fly worked.

I began tying all my Generics weighted. I didn't need to mark them anymore, so I stopped using red thread. It took almost no time at all to discover that the tiny bit of red color I used to mark the weighted flies was an unexpected, but necessary element of pattern. I could hardly believe it. I went back to the red tying thread and sure enough, that was the ticket.

I've tied the pattern exactly the same way for ten years...and in one size, a 12. Nothing else was ever necessary....I know-I know, we are schooled to believe most patterns need to be tied in 3-5 sizes, but in this case, it's not necessary. I can't tell you why...but with the Generic, it's just not. Believe it or don't.

Depth control, buggy, red head...the fly is effective for these reasons. It also looks (apparently) like a lot of different critters fish might want to eat. Hence the name..."Jon's Generic". I've seen fish in clear water move 7-8 feet to grab the fly. It looks like an easy meal. It also lends itself to a variety of presentations that further increase it's effectiveness. Read the Techniques Page to learn more.