Nymphs and Bugs cover a large group of patterns designed either to give the impression of something alive and potentially edible to the fish or specifically to imitate an aquatic creature such as a shrimp.

Others are tied to represent the various stages such as larvae, pupae or nymphs which make up the life cycles of aquatic insects including midges, damselflies and caddisflies. Many nymph and bug patterns are tied with weighted bodies to help them sink.