Sparkle Wing RS2 – 01/04/2022

Sparkle Wing RS2 01/04/2022 Photo Album

The sparkle wing RS2 is a close cousin of the classic RS2. Simply replace the tail with fluoro fiber strands and replace the wing with antron yarn, and you transform the classic RS2 into a flashier modern version that utilizes some synthetic materials. Read my 12/15/2019 post to obtain links to a materials table and additional information regarding the fly’s effectiveness.

Unruly

As I progress through each new year of fly fishing, the sparkle wing RS2 seems to gain favor with me, and consequently it is allocated more time on my line. The natural outgrowth of this circumstance is the loss of more flies.

Materials and Flies

I counted my supply and determined that I needed to tie ten new sparkle wings to replace flies that I lost during the 2021 season. I accomplished this mission in several sessions at the fly tying vise, and I am now prepared with classic and sparkle wing RS2’s for baetis hatches in the forthcoming year.

RS2 – 01/02/2022

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

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

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

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

Ultra Zug Bug – 12/15/2021

Ultra Zug Bug 12/15/2021 Photo Album

How can such a simply tied fly be so productive? I do not know the answer, but I am certainly pleased that this is the case. I saw this fly in a Scott Sanchez book and began tying it many years ago. It has become another top producer among my nymph and wet fly arsenal. If you check out my 11/10/2020 post, you will encounter links to previous posts that include a materials table and earlier narratives that describe my introduction to this fly and explain its continued effectiveness.

Looking Unruly

Sanchez created the ultra zug bug as a quick replacement for the prince nymph, and he accomplished the easy construction goal. The fly requires only a hook, a bead, some thread, a pheasant body feather for tailing, crystal flash, and peacock dubbing. Initially I used it in lieu of the prince nymph during the spring caddis emergence, but eventually I learned that its effectiveness is not limited to the spring caddis time period. It works year round. For some reason I seemed to abandon it in the early season of 2021, but it proved its worth on several autumn fly fishing outings during this past year.

Seven for Me and Five for a Friend

I counted my remaining supply of ultra zug bugs and determined that my various fly boxes contained 53. I approached my vise and knocked out seven more to bring my total to a nice round sixty. This should provide more than adequate ammunition for fooling wild trout during 2022.

Salvation Nymph – 12/13/2021

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.

Clear Creek – 12/01/2021

Time: 1:00PM – 3:00PM

Location: Clear Creek Canyon

Clear Creek 12/01/2021 Photo Album

My fly fishing outing today, December 1, 2021, simply confirmed why I am not a fan of cold water fishing, even though the air temperature where I was fishing was in the low sixties. I spent two hours on Clear Creek in relative comfort, and I failed to land a single fish. In fact, I think I saw one fish during my time on the water, and even that could have been a figment of my imagination. I am forced to conclude that winter fishing outings should be directed toward tailwaters and streams that drain wide  and open valleys that enable the sun to penetrate.

I played pickleball in the morning, and by the time I showered and loaded the car and drove to Clear Creek Canyon, the clock displayed 12:30PM. I immediately munched my light lunch, and as I observed from the car, the wind seemed to represent an annoying factor. Although it remained present throughout my two hours on the stream, it seemed to subside to some degree, and other than a few tangles, it was not a significant reason for my lack of success.

Promising

I rigged initially with a yellow fat Albert for visibility and buoyancy, and then I attached a beadhead hares ear nymph and soft hackle emerger. The fat Albert was simply a high floating indicator. After a short amount of unsuccessful fishing, I swapped the soft hackle emerger for an ultra zug bug, and eventually I changed out both nymphs for a 20 incher and super nova PMD nymph. None of these offerings aroused interest.

Love the Look of the Run Along the Rocks

I progressed steadily upstream along the roadside bank and covered all the prime pools, before I retired at 2:45PM. Most of the articles I read about cold water fishing emphasized that the fish tend to congregate in deep slow moving pools, so I was quite selective about the target areas for my casts. I dwelled longer in slow moving shelf pools, and I paused to scan and observe the prime spots before casting; however, I never sighted a fish. At one point I waded through the tail of a deep pocket to unsnag my flies, and this was the one instance, when I thought I noticed a fish.

Money in the Summer

As three o’clock approached my right foot began to lose feeling, and I was surrounded by shadows just below the highway 6 bridge, so I called it a day. My confidence reached a low ebb, and I was thinking more about pickleball and Christmas shopping than fly fishing.

Fish Landed: 0

Beadhead Hares Ear Nymph – 11/30/2021

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.

User Friendly Green Drake – 11/20/2021

User Friendly Green Drake 11/20/2021 Photo Album

I continued my count of green drake flies in my fly boxes and storage containers, and I determined that I could use additional user friendly green drakes to replenish my supply. For additional background information on the user friendly green drake please click on my post of 02/12/2021. This report contains a link to additional information, and if you search on line on user friendly, you can find a YouTube video of Andrew Grillos, the creator of this pattern, demonstrating the tying steps.

Opposite Side

During 2021 I had some sporadic success with the user friendly version of the western green drake; however, the parachute green drake and comparadun green drake continued to outperform the newest imitation in my fly box. I tend to test the user friendly, when I grow weary of drying and applying floatant to the parachute and comparadun. The user friendly contains a strip of foam as a covering over the length of the fly, and this translates to more buoyancy.

Four Legless User Friendlies

With an apology to Andrew Grillos, I made a few modifications to his pattern for the four that I tied recently. Several sessions this summer taught me that a moose mane tail was popular with the stream feeders, so I replaced the microfibbet tail of the official pattern with moose mane. In an attempt for more authenticity, I eliminated the rubber legs and tied the four new versions without legs. I retained the foam back for buoyancy and cut the hackle off flush with the thorax, another significant characteristic of the original user friendly. I am anxious to give these new user friendly green drakes a spin in 2022.