Sparkle Wing RS2 01/04/2026 Photo Album

As I mentioned in my last RS2 post, I also tie other versions of baetis nymphs, and one such variation is the sparkle wing RS2. I am not sure that they outperform the classic RS2, but I bought into the hype and produced a fair quantity.

Narrow Profile

Both flies possess a gray muskrat body, but that is the only similarity. The sparkle wing tail is made of white fluoro fiber, and the emerging wing is constructed with crystal flash. These two substitutions create a fly with more flash than the classic RS2. My post of 01/17/2019 was one of my earliest regarding the sparkle wing.

Left Side View

In order to refresh my memory on tying the relatively simple sparkle wing, I searched the fly on YouTube, and I ended up selecting the instructions provided by Charlie Craven. Charlie’s version incorporates a crystal flash (he actually uses something different but similar) loop wing. I liked the look of the sparkling wing, so I adopted the practice for the five new sparkle wings that I produced. These flies boosted my supply to twenty-five for the 2026 season. I suspect that I use the sparkle wing in equal proportion to the classic RS2. In either case the key to attracting interest from trout with these flies is jigging and lifting the flies to simulate the motion of baetis nymphs before they hatch.

Flies and Materials on a Muskrat Patch