Alright, so you wanna tie up a Montana Nymph? Solid choice—this little guy’s killer for stoneflies and mayfly nymphs, and trout just can’t seem to leave it alone. Here’s how I do it, though honestly, there’s a dozen ways to get there.

First off, grab a hook—short or medium shank, doesn’t need to be fancy. The body? Chenille’s your friend. Black’s classic, but I’ve had stupid-good luck with olive. Green or yellow? Sure, they work, but olive just feels buggier, y’know? Spin it onto the hook shank, nice and snug.

Now, the tail and wing—just a few strands of black or brown hackle fibers. Length? Eh, I eyeball it. Aim for a smidge longer than the body, kinda like those wiggly antennae real nymphs have. You know how sometimes trout fixate on movement? That’s what this does.
Wait, back to the hackle—palmered hackle’s the secret sauce here. Wrap a black or brown saddle hackle along the body, not too tight, not too loose. It’s gotta pulse in the water, right? Secure it with ribbing (wire’s fine, thread’s fine—whatever’s in your vise tray). Palmered hackle. Critical.

Head’s easy: whip finish with your thread, keep it small. No need to overthink it—just make sure everything stays put.

What’s it mimic? Stoneflies, big mayfly nymphs… honestly, anything juicy and leggy. Trout go nuts for this in muddy water. No clue why; they just do. Toss it in any freshwater spot—rivers, creeks, doesn’t matter. Works on more than trout, too, but let’s be real, that’s why we’re here.

Side note: Last spring, I nailed a 20-incher on this pattern during a stonefly hatch. Fish ignored everything else—go figure. Anyway, give it a shot. Mess with colors, tweak the tail length—make it yours.