Today's installment of fly patterns includes 3 nymphs, one streamer, and a terrestrial dry fly. All five are definitely flies that I would not want to be caught without.
11. Rainbow Warrior
Designed by Lance Egan of the U.S. Fly Fishing Team, this fly makes a great small nymph / midge pattern. Sizes 18 and 20 seem to work best for me. Like the lightning bug, this pattern is a really bright fish attractor. The flashabou body, dubbed rainbow thorax, and hot-spot collar combine for some real flash. If a small pheasant tail isn't working, this fly is a good change-up option. Tailwaters are home to many small mayflies and midges that this fly imitates well. The gentlemen at Tightline Productions have produced a great tying video.
12. Hare's Ear Nymph
This classic fly needs no introduction. I must admit, that since moving to Montana, I haven't fished this pattern as much as I used to as a teenager in Pennsylvania. Lately, I'm more likely to tie on some sort of pheasant tail. However, there are still quite a few hare's ear nymphs in my box. Picked out rabbit fur has a great buggy look that traps air bubbles and suggests gills/legs/life to the fish. Tightline Productions nails it again with this tying video. I'll fish the pattern in a range of sizes. In sizes 10 or larger, it makes a decent stonefly imitation. In smaller sizes, it makes a great mayfly imitation. Another variation of the pattern that I've been fishing a lot lately is the Guide's Choice Hare's Ear. The "guide's choice" is a really tricked out version of the traditional hare's ear. Tightline productions has another tying video for this great pattern. Here's what it looks like:
13. Woolly Bugger
I carry a handful of different streamer patterns, but the one I fish the most is the wooly bugger. I'm not sure if the fish think it's a leech, sculpin, baitfish, or large nymph, but it works almost everywhere. Usually I'll fish a bugger in smaller sizes like a 10 or a 12, but during spring runoff or when hunting for big fish, I'll fish a big, weighted version with rubber legs in a size 4. Here is a great tying video for the regular version from Tightline Productions. Here is another tying video from Tightline Productions of the beefier version pictured below.
14. WD-40
I think of this fly as a baetis nymph/emerger and that is how I fish it. However, it could also be perceived as a midge pupae. Now that I think about it, there are a lot of similarities between this pattern and the Rainbow Warrior. The triggering characteristic of both patterns is likely the large thorax. If I start to see a few blue winged olives or baetis flying around but not many rises, I'll fish this pattern deep since the nymphs are probably starting to move around and enter the drift. I'll usually fish the pattern on a size 18 or 20 curved (scud) hook. Here is a great tying video by Tightline Productions.
15. GFA (General Foam Attractor)
I learned about this pattern from Park's Fly Shop based out of Gardiner, MT. For years I struggled deciding which hopper pattern suited me the best. I still love the Dave's Hopper, but the knotted legs and the spun deer hair head take too long for me to tie. The GFA is a straightforward pattern that works great. A great feature about this pattern is that it uses a curved hopper hook that leaves a lot of bare shank exposed below the foam body of the fly. This helps prevent the fly from landing and floating upside down. I really like this pattern in sizes smaller than a size 10, but bigger sizes work too. By changing the size and color of the foam, this pattern can imitate salmonflies, golden stones, crickets, beetles, grasshoppers, and leafhoppers/katydids. The fly's inventor, Walter Wiese has posted a great tying video. While you're at it, check out some of the other great custom flies by Park's Fly Shop.
Photo Credits: All photos except the GFA were taken from Tightline Productions videos whose hompage can be found at: http://vimeo.com/user3412872. The GFA picture was taken from Park's Fly Shop whose webpage is http://www.parksflyshop.com/.
These two sites have both had a significant influence on my tying in the last year. In my opinion, Tightline Productions has the highest quality tying videos on the internet. They do a great job focusing on practical patterns that aren't too complex and just plain catch fish. Park's Fly Shop focuses on the Yellowstone area, and their custom flies are definitely worth a look. They will probably give you some great ideas of your own.
All Solid Patterns!
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