flymph

n. a fishing lure resembling an insect between the nymph and fly stages of development. Subjects: English, Sports & Recreation

Etymological Note: Perhaps coined by and probably popularized by Vernon S. Hidy.

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Citations: 1971 Jim Gilford The News (Frederick, Maryland) (Apr. 2) “Tempting Selective Trout” p. B2: Veron “Pete” Hidy, who fished often with Liesenring and who put into print, in the original edition, Big Jim’s ideas and knowledge of wet fly fishing, has added three new chapters on “Flymph” fishing in the updated version. Flymph is Hidy’s term for an aquatic larva wiggling to the surface of the water to hatch. 1994 Jim Merritt Field & Stream (Apr. 1) “Antique angling” vol. 98, no. 12, p. 56: Leafing through this little book, I was struck by the naturalness of the flies, some of which resembled the modern, soft-hackle “flymph” patterns popularized by Vernon S. Hidy. The blackened hooks were mostly sizes 12 and 14, but a few flies were tied on hooks approaching a diminutive size 18. 2007 Bill Thompson Conway Daily Sun (North Conway, New Hampshire) (Apr. 27) “Fishing: Flies for early season trout”: Tie the fly on a nymph hook with a tail and you have what some refer to as a flymph.

Posted 27 Apr 07 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Reader comments:

My father, Vernon S. Hidy, coined the word “flymph” in 1962. He told the story in an essay, “The Origin of Flymph Fishing,” published in THE ANGLERS’ CLUB BULLETIN, Vol 53, No 3, Autumn, 1974.
His book, “The Art of Tying the Wet Fly and Fishing the Flymph” (Crown) appeared in 1971 (originally coauthored with Leisenring in 1941). Dad’s Swedish friend Gunnar Johnson translated the word for the title of his 1989 book, “Flymfer & andra mjukhacklade flugor.”

by Lance Hidy 23 Mar 11, 0811 GMT