Nymph

Higa's SOS

Icelandic competition nymph

TroutSubsurface

A tungsten-beaded competition nymph with a hot-spot collar, developed by Utah guide Spencer Higa of Falcon's Ledge lodge as a Baetis imitation — since carried into European tight-line competition circuits, Iceland included, where light, fast-sinking nymphs outperform traditional wets.

Fish this when

Summer on rivers worldwide wherever tight-line/Euro-nymphing technique applies, including Icelandic trout rivers, in runs and riffles.

Why it works

Competition nymphs work on Icelandic trout rivers because the fundamentals — getting the fly to depth quickly and maintaining contact — are the same everywhere. The hot-spot collar provides a trigger point that the traditional wets lack.

Naturals it imitates