Nick Pionessa, a professional fly tyer from New York, takes us on a journey today of becoming a full-time production fly tyer, tying over 100 dry flies for trout a day. We hear about the story of how he got started fly tying and eventually made a living out of it. Nick walks us through some of the most effective and requested dry fly patterns.
This episode is loaded with a bunch of dry fly tying tips. You’re going to want to stop what you’re doing and get on your workstation while listening to this.
Discover Nick’s Top 5 Dry Fly Patterns! If you love fly tying, you gonna love this one!
Click below and listen to the Dry Flies for Trout Podcast with Nick Pionessa:
Find the show: Apple | Spotify | Overcast
(Read the Full Transcript at the bottom of this Blog Post)
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Dry Flies for Trout Show Notes with Nick Pionessa
04:13 – One of Nick’s first fly rods is an Eagle Claw fly rod
04:28 – Nick took a fly tying class in high school with Jim Keech
05:15 – He does a little guiding in the great lakes
06:00 – Rick Kustich used to own a fly shop in Albion Oak Orchard, NY – his partner Bob Morrisey gave Nick his first fly tying order
10:37 – When Nick worked in a fly shop, he tied 100 trout flies a day
18:15 – Tim Flagler was on the podcast at WFS 279 and he shared some great tips on fly tying
20:01 – Nick’s flies go as far as Alaska
21:27 – Last year, Nick’s most popular fly was the Peacock Emerger
26:26 – Parachute Spinner
31:59 – Nick describes his technique in tying the Peacock Emerger
35:19 – Nick describes the Para-Spinner technique
36:46 – Most of Nick’s parachute patterns have poly yarn material for the wing
39:55 – Calf tail is his least favorite material to work with
40:55 – The Disabled Dun Hendrickson
46:47 – If Nick could only have one dry fly, he would choose the Sparkle Dun (Craig Matthews original)
48:52 – One of the dry flies that Nick fished with the most is the Yellow Bodied Stimulator
50:10 – The Thorax by Mike Lawson lost some of the points that its originally known for
55:06 – The big no-nos in fishing the fish that are actively spawning
58:10 – For steelhead, Nick tied and used the Bill Spey a lot
1:01:40 – Collins Hackle in New York is recommended for the second time – Tim Cammisa recommends them too
1:02:30 – Nick gives some tips on tying small dry flies
- You have to see what you’re doing – have proper magnification, proper visibility, wear glasses if necessary
- Use proper thread
- If you’re a beginner tier, use half of what you started with as far as the material – try to keep everything as thin as possible
- Get some good photos of the actual bug that you’re trying to make a fly pattern of
- Be as familiar as you possibly can be with what you’re trying to imitate
1:03:30 – For threads, Nick recommends Veevus 16/0
1:06:34 – Nick describes how he does his shanks
You can find Nick here on Instagram @magogsmelt
Website at NickPionessa.com
Nick’s Guiding Service Crew at CattaraugusCreekOutfitters.com
Nick’s Top 5 Dry Flies for Trout Patterns
- Peacock Emerger
- Parachute Spinner
- Sparkle Dun (Craig Matthews original)
- Yellow Bodied Stimulator
- Bill Spey
Related Podcast Episodes
WFS 277 – Advanced Fly Fishing Tips for Steelhead with Rick Kustich
WFS 279 – Tim Flagler on Tightline Productions, Fly Tying Tutorials and Youtube
WFS 285 – 21st Century Materials for Fly Tying with Tim Cammisa from Trout and Feather
Read the Full Podcast Transcript Below
Dry Flies for Trout Conclusion with Nick Pionessa
Nick Pionessa, a professional fly tier from New York told us his story of how he became a full-time production fly tier, tying over 100 flies a day – how he got started fly tying and eventually made a living out of it. Nick mentioned some of the most effective and requested dry fly patterns.
We discovered Nick’s Top 5 Dry Fly Patterns! Now we feel so much more motivated to get on that vise.
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