RS2 01/02/2022 Photo Album

Baetis hatches remain a prime attraction during the spring and fall seasons in the western areas of the United States. It would be foolhardy to approach either of these seasons without a supply of blue winged olive nymphs, emergers and dry flies in sizes ranging from 18 to 24. I personally subscribe to this recommendation, and the classic RS2 is a core offering in the game of fooling trout with BWO imitations.

Nice Angled View of a RS2

The classic RS2 was created by a Coloradan and requires minimal materials. The original did not require a bead, but I added a small silver bead to provide some sink, when I choose to fish the RS2 as a trailing nymph on a dry/dropper rig. My other modification was to substitute brown fibers from a ring neck pheasant feather as tails instead of using the guard hairs on a muskrat skin. Can you imagine how tedious it is to pluck tiny guard hairs from a patch of muskrat?

A Dozen RS2’s

For a link to a materials table and previous descriptions of my experience with the classic RS2, review my post of 12/07/2020. I depleted my classic RS2 supply more than normal in 2021, and this caused me to produce an additional dozen to bring my inventory to its target level. Hopefully these RS2’s with be gracing my line a couple months from now, as the first waves of baetis become active.

Supernova PMD 12/27/2021 Photo Album

The Supernova PMD is a fairly recent addition to my arsenal of flies. I invite you to review my post of 12/01/2020 to locate links to a materials table and additional information about my introduction to this fly.

Other Side

During 2021 it continued to produce results in situations, where I would normally deploy a pheasant tail nymph. Compared to a pheasant tail it is easier to tie, it is more durable, and it is easier to build a nice taper compared to winding pheasant tail fibers. I am sold on the supernova PMD to the extent that I plan to cease replenishing my pheasant tail nymph supply.

A Batch of Five Completed

I tied five additional supernovas to increase my inventory to ten, and when combined with my pheasant tails provides adequate quantities of dark rust colored nymphs.

Go2 Sparkle Pupa 12/19/2021 Photo Album

I have little in the way of new information to offer on the go2 sparkle pupa. Essential links for my history with this fly and a materials table are available on my 11/28/2020 post.

Opposite Side

This fly sees most of its time on my line during the period leading up to and during the spring brachycentrus caddis hatch. This event generally occurs during April and early May, before the rivers and streams are blown out with snow melt from the high country. The grannom caddis hatch (another name for brachycentrus) also overlaps with the spring blue winged olive emergence, and it seems that I have experienced more success with the small mayfly hatch than the caddis event in recent years.

Nice Close Up

I conducted a count of my supply and determined that I needed to tie seven new versions to bring my inventory up to my standard goal quantity before the start of the 2022 fishing season. The output looks great and should attract some hungry fish in the near future.

Emerald Caddis Pupa 12/19/2021 Photo Album

For links to additional information on the emerald caddis pupa follow my post of 11/29/2020. I developed this fly many years ago in response to some frustrating outings on the Tulpehocken Creek in Pennsylvania. I subsequently discovered that this fly is a fish attractor wherever I fish.

Closing In

During the summer of 2021 this fly continued to be one of my top producers. I can recall some outings on the South Platte River in Eleven Mile Canyon, where the emerald caddis salvaged some slow fishing. I counted my stock of these flies and determined that I needed to tie nine to bring my inventory back to a targeted level of forty-five. I completed this effort over the past couple weeks, and I am now poised to present the emerald caddis pupa to Rocky Mountain trout once the weather cooperates.

Materials and Flies

Salvation Nymph 12/13/2021 Photo Album

For links to a materials table and a narrative of my relationship with the salvation nymph check out my 12/09/2020 post. If you search online using tungsten salvation nymph, you will find places to buy this fly, but I did not find any tying instructions. My 12/30/2011 post on this fly describes the tying steps that I use, however, I do not use a tungsten bead. Normally the salvation nymph is one of the first flies that I stockpile during my winter tying season, and 2021- 2022 is no different. Over time this fly has grown to be my top producer along with the beadhead hares ear nymph, and the summer of 2021 proved to be no different.

Head On

The beauty of this fly is its versatility. It seems to be a solid imitation of the pale morning dun nymph, yet it also produces as an attractor nymph throughout the entire season. I suspect much of this has to do with the flashy qualities of the fly. Flashabou, flashback black, a bead and ice dubbing are four materials that display flash and shine, and the fish have a hard time passing them up. Last winter I began incorporating a UV coating to the nymph back and wing case, and that addition simply enhances the robust shine of the fly.

A New Clump of Salvation Nymphs

I counted my total supply and determined that I possessed sixty-seven in my various storage containers. I typically plan to stock one hundred for the start of each new season, so I knuckled down and produced thirty-three over the past week. The trout of the west should be extra careful in order to avoid these tumbling jewels in 2022.

Beadhead Hares Ear Nymph 11/30/2021 Photo Album

in my post of 10/25/2020 I noted that I used far fewer hares ear nymphs during the 2020 season compared to prior years. As I prepare this report on November 30, 2021, I can report that my hares ear nymph supply shrank by thirty-four flies during the past season. Clearly, it was used often and subsequently resulted in the loss of many flies. I recommend that you read the 10/25/2020 report, as it contains links to a materials table and my storied history with this fly.

Beadhead Hares Ear Nymph

As I stated many times, the beadhead hares ear nymph is perhaps my most productive fly. I find it particularly effective in the early season from March until run off in the Rocky Mountains. In my opinion the effectiveness stems from its overall, scraggly look. I make a concerted effort to include guard hairs in my dubbing loop to create the spikey image that I believe trout prefer. In addition, this fly can imitate mayfly nymphs, caddis pupa, and a yellow sally nymph. That lineup covers a large portion of the trout diet in my part of the country.

Still Life

The hares ear nymph runs neck and neck with the salvation nymph as my most productive imitation on a hook. Over the last several years I have noticed that the hares ear dominates in the early season and late fall, while the salvation shines in the post snow melt time frame through September. Both flies, however, are worth time on the line all season long, and I often begin my outing with a hares ear and salvation combination.

I completed my hares ear production, as I spun out thirty-four newly minted versions to bring my inventory back to one hundred. I made another five for a friend, and I cannot wait to toss these earth-toned nymphs in the local streams, because that means fishing season is back.

Crystal Stone 03/06/2021 Photo Album

I am taking credit for creating and naming a new fly, although I have not researched whether a similar tie already exists. I was researching destinations for a fishing trip prior to my visit to the Arkansas River on 03/09/2021. One of my options was one of the sections of the South Platte River. I follow guide, Pat Dorsey, on Instagram; and a post during that time frame mentioned that little black stoneflies were present in decent numbers along the South Platte. He suggested using a black pheasant tail size 18 as an imitation. I pondered this and realized that I did not possess any small black nymphs, so I decided to cover my bases and tie a few.

Sideview of a Crystal Stone

I surfed YouTube and browsed some black pheasant tail patterns, and that was when I realized, that they required dyed black pheasant tails, and I had none in my possession. Over the last year I made a concerted effort to utilize the materials that I already stock in abundance rather than increasing my supply, so I contemplated replacement materials. I settled on black crystal flash, as it was the correct color, offered some flash, and worked well in an iron sally.

Here are my steps for tying a crystal stone:

1. Put down a solid thread base over the back 2/3 of the hook shank.

2. Cut six strands of black crystal flash from the clump and tie them in on top of the hook at the midpoint of the shank.

3. Wrap over the crystal flash keeping the strands on top of the hook, until you reach the point, where the hook begins to bend.

4. Cut the tail, so it is roughly equal to the hook gap or a bit longer.

5. Tie in the fine silver wire at the midpoint and wrap back to the beginning of the tail.

6. Move the thread to a position above the hook point and twirl black dubbing on the thread. Use the bare thread to move back to the front of the tail and then build a tapered body from the tail to a point 1/3 behind the hook eye.

7. Wrap the wire forward to create a rib over the abdomen. Tie off and cut off the wire.

8. Fold the strands of crystal flash back over the abdomen and make a couple wraps to keep it pointing toward the tail.

9. Use black peacock ice dub to create a nice thorax that is thicker than the abdomen.

10. Fold the six strands of black crystal flash forward over the top of the thorax and tie down behind the bead with some secure wraps. Use your fingers if necessary to spread the fibers so they have a decent width for a wing case.

11. Separate the six fibers that protrude over the eye of the hook into two clumps of three, and then fold each back and lock down with some wraps, so the legs point backward along the sides of the body. Build a collar behind the bead and whip finish.

12. Cut the legs to an even length, so they extent slightly beyond the wing case.

13. Optionally apply a bead of UV resin to the wing case and cure.

I know I am biased, but I tied five of these, and I think they look great. They are the right size, totally black, and they display an eye-grabbing amount of flash. I tried one at the start of my day on the Arkansas River on 03/09/2021, but I was unable to interest the trout in my new creation. Perhaps little black stoneflies are more prevalent in the South Platte drainage. Once the recent snowstorm disappears, I hope to visit the South Platte for another test of the crystal stone.

Five Crystal Stones