Tied by Matt O’Neal of Savage Flies on YouTube Follow Matt on Instagram
This version of the Gold Bead Head Possie Nymph is tied by Matt O’Neal of Savage Flies and was originally found in John Van Vliet’s 1994 book, The Art of Fly Tying. Van Vliet named the fly the Possie Nymph, in honor of its primary ingredient — Australian possum fur.
If you’ve never tied with possum, Matt recommends giving it a shot. It’s spiky, coarse, and dubs with just the right amount of uneven texture—perfect for buggy nymphs that don’t try too hard to look precise. That said, you can easily sub in squirrel, hare, or whatever other varmint fur you’ve got lying around. It might not be technically correct to call it a Possie Nymph after that, but the fish won’t mind.
The finished pattern is simple, durable, and effective—ideal for prospecting in riffles or running under an indicator. The gold bead adds weight and just enough flash to get attention without turning it into something flashy.
Material
- Hook: Size 12 1x Long Nymph Hook
- Bead: 2.8mm Tungsten Bead - Gold
- Weight: 0.015 Lead Wire
- Thread: Gray 70 Denier
- Rib: Copper Wire - Brassie size
- Tail: Opossum guard hairs or long opossum fibers
- Body: Australian Opossum Fur or Awesome Possum Dubbing
How to Tie the Gold Bead Possie Nymph
Comments
I often tell people flies don’t always have to be pretty!! Years ago, fishing the Methow River in Washington State, I had been told that the streamer fishing was great under the bridge in Twisp. I fished a usually successful Wooly Bugger pattern for about 10 minutes without a touch. A voice behind me asked what I was using. I held it up and a very old man said, “it’s too pretty, grind it into the dirt”. I did so (why not) and it was looking pretty bad. Over the next half hour I caught and released over 20 decent to nice fish.
I really think it is important that those teaching less experiences fly Tyers AVOID the use of lead in their patterns. Lead is a known environmental toxin (such that it is outlawed to use lead shot for waterfowl hunting which pollutes our waters and poisons birds which ingest it. And lead shot is increasingly outlawed for non waterfowl hunting, and more effort is given to encourage non-lead bullets for big game). There are alternatives to lead for weighting flies, and making this a priority for instruction of those less experienced in our sport is important for the future.
Thanks!
Also check Peter Gathercole’s book. He ties a GRHE from which I made a modified version using the same technique you show in the video. I use rabbit guard hairs for the tail and gold Hare’s Ear Plus for body and thorax. It’s been my go-to fly for many years.