Lance Egan's Tungsten Surveyor Fly Tying Video Material Kit
Lance Egan designed the Tungsten Surveyor as a hybrid of two of his favorite patterns, and it quietly became one of his most productive nymphs. It's one of his lesser known patterns, which is interesting since it's one of his more productive flies. This material kit bundles everything you need to tie the Surveyor at your own vise, paired with a step-by-step tying tutorial video so you can follow along exactly. Whether you're filling a Euro nymphing box for tailwater browns or stocking up for a cutthroat trip in the high country, this kit gets you there without sourcing a dozen materials from a dozen places.
What It Imitates
The Tungsten Surveyor is a buggy nymph that doesn't quite match any natural insect but works almost anywhere you take it. It functions as a general attractor nymph, passing for mayflies, scuds, sow bugs, and stonefly nymphs. Lance noticed how many tailwater fish would take this fly as a sow bug, which led him to equip it with a silver bead and wire rather than gold. The rainbow sow/scud dubbing catches light in a way that suggests multiple food items at once, letting trout decide what they think it is.
How To Use It
The Tungsten Surveyor can be fished with Euro Nymph tactics, under an indicator, on a tight line, or worked into a multi-nymph rig. The additional weight from the tungsten bead helps this pattern get down to the fish quickly and stay low in the feeding zone longer during each drift.
It's a strong choice as the point fly in a two-nymph Euro rig, pulling a lighter dropper like a Perdigon or midge into the zone. Equally good prospecting pocket water on a freestone stream or dead-drifted through a tailwater run under an indicator. When fish aren't keyed on anything specific, this is the fly you tie on first.
When To Use It
This fly works all year long and should be on hand anywhere you're headed. It really shines as a confidence pattern during those frustrating "between hatches" windows when nothing obvious is coming off. The rainbow dubbing is a blend of different colors that captures different shades of light and stands out in varied fishing conditions, making it a solid pick whether the water is slightly off-color after a rain or gin-clear on a bluebird day. Size down to an 18 in low, clear water. Go with a 14 when you need a little more presence in faster or deeper runs.
Why We Like It
Lance started by wondering what would happen if he swapped the hares mask dubbing on a Hares Ear for rainbow sow scud dub, then adapted the bead from gold to silver, switched gold tinsel to silver wire, and borrowed the red thread, pheasant tail, and pearl flash back from the Rainbow Warrior. The result is a pattern with the buggy profile of a Hares Ear and the attractor flash of a Rainbow Warrior, all in one fly. It's also a quick, simple tie, which means you can load a box full of them in a single sitting. This kit takes the guesswork out of material selection and pairs directly with the tying tutorial video, so what you see on screen is what you have at the vise.
Comparisons
Tungsten Surveyor Material Kit vs. Hares Ear Nymph:
Lance took the profile and style of a Hares Ear and switched the dubbing from hares mask to rainbow sow/scud. The Hares Ear is a more natural, imitative pattern with subdued earth tones that excel during specific mayfly activity. The Surveyor brings more flash and color variation through its rainbow dubbing and silver components, making it a better searching pattern when you're not sure what's on the menu. If you want one nymph to cover uncertain conditions, the Surveyor has the edge.
Tungsten Surveyor Material Kit vs. Rainbow Warrior Material Kit:
The Rainbow Warrior was one of Lance's confidence flies that helped inspire the Surveyor. The Rainbow Warrior is slimmer, flashier, and built to suggest small midges and BWO emergers with its pearl tinsel body. The Surveyor has a buggier, rounder profile thanks to the sow/scud dubbing, which gives it a more "food-like" silhouette in the water. Use the Warrior when fish want something sleek and sparkly. Use the Surveyor when a buggier, more impressionistic look draws more grabs.
Tungsten Surveyor Material Kit vs. Frenchie Material Kit:
The Frenchie is another simple, fast-to-tie attractor nymph built around a pheasant tail body with a dubbed hot spot collar. It's a proven Euro nymphing staple, but it leans more natural in profile and color. What makes the Surveyor special is its ability to sink fast and stand out, taking an "attract and trigger" approach rather than matching the hatch. If you already tie Frenchies, the Surveyor gives you a buggier, flashier option to rotate in when fish want something different.
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Description
Lance Egan designed the Tungsten Surveyor as a hybrid of two of his favorite patterns, and it quietly became one of his most productive nymphs. It's one of his lesser known patterns, which is interesting since it's one of his more productive flies. This material kit bundles everything you need to tie the Surveyor at your own vise, paired with a step-by-step tying tutorial video so you can follow along exactly. Whether you're filling a Euro nymphing box for tailwater browns or stocking up for a cutthroat trip in the high country, this kit gets you there without sourcing a dozen materials from a dozen places.
What It Imitates
The Tungsten Surveyor is a buggy nymph that doesn't quite match any natural insect but works almost anywhere you take it. It functions as a general attractor nymph, passing for mayflies, scuds, sow bugs, and stonefly nymphs. Lance noticed how many tailwater fish would take this fly as a sow bug, which led him to equip it with a silver bead and wire rather than gold. The rainbow sow/scud dubbing catches light in a way that suggests multiple food items at once, letting trout decide what they think it is.
How To Use It
The Tungsten Surveyor can be fished with Euro Nymph tactics, under an indicator, on a tight line, or worked into a multi-nymph rig. The additional weight from the tungsten bead helps this pattern get down to the fish quickly and stay low in the feeding zone longer during each drift.
It's a strong choice as the point fly in a two-nymph Euro rig, pulling a lighter dropper like a Perdigon or midge into the zone. Equally good prospecting pocket water on a freestone stream or dead-drifted through a tailwater run under an indicator. When fish aren't keyed on anything specific, this is the fly you tie on first.
When To Use It
This fly works all year long and should be on hand anywhere you're headed. It really shines as a confidence pattern during those frustrating "between hatches" windows when nothing obvious is coming off. The rainbow dubbing is a blend of different colors that captures different shades of light and stands out in varied fishing conditions, making it a solid pick whether the water is slightly off-color after a rain or gin-clear on a bluebird day. Size down to an 18 in low, clear water. Go with a 14 when you need a little more presence in faster or deeper runs.
Why We Like It
Lance started by wondering what would happen if he swapped the hares mask dubbing on a Hares Ear for rainbow sow scud dub, then adapted the bead from gold to silver, switched gold tinsel to silver wire, and borrowed the red thread, pheasant tail, and pearl flash back from the Rainbow Warrior. The result is a pattern with the buggy profile of a Hares Ear and the attractor flash of a Rainbow Warrior, all in one fly. It's also a quick, simple tie, which means you can load a box full of them in a single sitting. This kit takes the guesswork out of material selection and pairs directly with the tying tutorial video, so what you see on screen is what you have at the vise.
Comparisons
Tungsten Surveyor Material Kit vs. Hares Ear Nymph:
Lance took the profile and style of a Hares Ear and switched the dubbing from hares mask to rainbow sow/scud. The Hares Ear is a more natural, imitative pattern with subdued earth tones that excel during specific mayfly activity. The Surveyor brings more flash and color variation through its rainbow dubbing and silver components, making it a better searching pattern when you're not sure what's on the menu. If you want one nymph to cover uncertain conditions, the Surveyor has the edge.
Tungsten Surveyor Material Kit vs. Rainbow Warrior Material Kit:
The Rainbow Warrior was one of Lance's confidence flies that helped inspire the Surveyor. The Rainbow Warrior is slimmer, flashier, and built to suggest small midges and BWO emergers with its pearl tinsel body. The Surveyor has a buggier, rounder profile thanks to the sow/scud dubbing, which gives it a more "food-like" silhouette in the water. Use the Warrior when fish want something sleek and sparkly. Use the Surveyor when a buggier, more impressionistic look draws more grabs.
Tungsten Surveyor Material Kit vs. Frenchie Material Kit:
The Frenchie is another simple, fast-to-tie attractor nymph built around a pheasant tail body with a dubbed hot spot collar. It's a proven Euro nymphing staple, but it leans more natural in profile and color. What makes the Surveyor special is its ability to sink fast and stand out, taking an "attract and trigger" approach rather than matching the hatch. If you already tie Frenchies, the Surveyor gives you a buggier, flashier option to rotate in when fish want something different.
