The Whitlock Red Squirrel Nymph is a pattern that incorporated the classic nymph components of a Hare’s Ear Nymph and the wound hackle wing of a Wet Fly or emerger pattern. The original used the natural materials of the day, in other words fur. There is certainly nothing incorrect in using rabbit fur for the abdomen and thorax. I have in recent years opted for blends of fur/synthetics or straight synthetics simply because my throat seizes up at the mere mention of rabbit fur let alone the handling of it. 

I tied up a few dozen of these ‘nymphs’ last Winter and have yet to use them (such has been life of late). But, I came across them sitting atop the tying station in a discarded hook box. I need to at least put them into the cubicle of a fly box that is likely to go out the door on an outing. 

Here are a few links on tying the Whitlock Red Squirrel Nymph. I am not trying to be a rebel or non-traditionalist with the ’emerger’ use. It just is how I would fish this fly…bottom and up to the top…more in the top layers.  Semantics, purely semantics. I use Krystal Flash for the ribbing rather than tinsel. Wire could be used or the traditional tinsel. Red Squirrel was used for the tail, but bunched hackle fibers could be used too. (How to) (How to)