The Splatte Roller is a pattern by Umpqua Feather Merchants signature tyer Shea Gunkel. This is a perfect little caddis pupa/emerger pattern for the South Platte River and many other Colorado drainages. An excellent blend of just a few materials creates a fly that works as an attractor but is still very imitative. I like to fish this as the lead fly with a heavier point fly such as a Pat’s Rubber Legs or a Jigged Biot Stone.
Originally created by Gary LaFontaine, master of the caddis lifecycle, this pattern varies only slightly. Using McFlylon in place of the Antron (Sparkle Emerger) yarn the rest of this pattern remains. I find that this material is a little easier to work with as you don’t have to card your fibers together and can clip right from the hank. If you are fishing a caddis hatch and the fish don’t seem to be slamming the top water they might be gorging on the emergence. Try this guy and it will undoubtedly put fish in the net.
The RS2 is a classic pattern that was created by Rim Chung. RS stands for “Rim’s Semblance”. The fly pattern was designed to imitate an emerging mayfly. It is one of the most popular and effective trout fishing patterns ever invented. It can be tied in many color variations including black, Adams Gray, and Blue Wing Olive (BWO). There are many versions of the RS2 and this one is a slight modification of Mr. Chung’s original. Continue reading “How to Tie a RS-2: Fly Tying Video”
Another home run by John Barr. The Barr’s emerger can be tied to imitate many types of Mayfly emergers. This classic variation is best used if there is a BWO hatch with the majority of the bugs in the transition stages. Continue reading “How to Tie a Barr’s BWO Emerger: Video”
There is some debate as to who really created this fly. There is no question however that it catches fish!
This is one of my all-time favorite dry flies as it works in many situations. Stimulators are a great pattern for mimicking Stonefly’s, Hoppers and even large Caddis flies. The large elk hair wing and fully hackle wrapped body makes it sit on top of the water like a T-Bone on a pile of mashed potatoes. Who could resist? (Not many vegan trout I would guess). Continue reading “How to Tie a Stimulator: Video”
Developed by Forest Dorsey, son of the famous fly tier, author and guide Pat Dorsey this is a go-to midge emerger for all tailwaters. I was recently fishing this pattern on clear creek outside of Idaho Springs in Colorado and it put some of the bigger fish in that river in my net. Fish it as a dropper below a Parachute Adams or in a tandem fly rig with weight or a heavy lead fly.
Happy Fly Tying Friday! Learn how to tie the Pueblo Emerger fly! It’s small, but the fish oh so love it!
The Pueblo Emerger is a Blue Winged Olive Mayfly Emerger pattern developed for the Arkansas River Tailwater in Pueblo, Colorado. It’s a basic and life like Blue Winged Olive imitation and has no flash or bead. This was done on purpose. The Pueblo Emerger is best tied without these additions, at least for the area in which it was developed for. It can also be tied with an olive or brown body, although the orange body is my favorite!
Check out this killer pupa pattern tied by our friends at In The Riffle. It is a Caddis Poopah emerger that can be tied in two main colors – Brown and Olive. This pattern is best fished on a nymph rig setup with the Caddis Poopah as your lead fly. An emerger is a pupa that is changing in to the adult life stage of the fly. As it sheds its casing, the top of the emerger starts to show its body and wings. It rises up through the water column to the surface to complete its transformation to an adult caddis fly.