Innovative Flies for chasing Trout in the Driftless Area, Rocky Mountain Alpine Lakes, and Western Rivers. Plus Rich's High-performance PowerHead Diver--a favorite with Midwest smallmouth anglers.
Innovative
Patterns: I offer my own innovative
fly designs, plus my high-performance variations on some standard patterns that
belong in every fly box. Look for more on fishing and tying my flies in my
books and articles.
Individually:Every fly I offer is a
proven performer and a staple in my fly boxes. If a fly is on this list it has
plenty of application for home and destination waters.
As
a System:
You’ll find outstanding flies for prospecting for trout on all water types, plus
the key imitative flies for cracking hatches. My high-performance flies for
smallmouth bass are among my most popular patterns.
Top
Hooks & Materials: All flies are tied with premium materials on chemically
sharpened hooks (primarily Tiemco and Daiichi). Hooks have excellent temper,
and micro barbs that you can easily flatten for fishing barbless.
Competitive
Pricing: By
marketing my flies directly to anglers I keep my pricing competitive with the
import flies, which are the bulk of the flies sold by virtually all fly shops
and catalogs.
Personal Service: Fishing a fly right is as
important as fishing the right fly. Call me at (608) 847-5192 to talk flies or fishing.
NOTE: The primary hook size for each
pattern is boldfaced
The Fast-sinking Scud has accounted for so many of my
trophy golden and brook trout from alpine lakes that I jokingly refer to
my early, less fruitful backpacking summers as BS (Before Scud). I
designed this fly specifically for sight-casting to cruising trout on
high lakes where fairy shrimp (and not true scuds) are often the primary
forage. On golden trout lakes, whether we're sight-fishing or
prospecting blind, we fish this fly ninety-percent of the time, usually
on ten-foot sinking tip lines. Size 12 casts like a bullet on a long,
4X tippet then flips onto its friction-free back to drop quickly to the
level of cruising fish (fairy shrimp actually swim upside down with
legs and gill filaments undulating upward). The Natural Scud is
olive/gray and is also a good imitation of the scuds and sowbugs that
abound on many Midwestern spring creeks.
The size 8 Mega Scud, with
orange body and silver flashback, is a high-visibility 'attractor' scud
that consistently pulls cruising trout in from a distance. When
sight-fishing conditions are poor on high lakes, the Mega Scud is a game
saver.
Mega Scud, Orange/Flashback - size 8...................Each $3.95
If you like to prospect with beadhead nymphs, as I do,
definitely give this one a go. For many years now it's been my top
prospecting nymph, bare none, on Wisconsin spring creeks (where strike
rates to this nymph are phenomenal). And it's proving just as productive in other
regions, on spring creeks, freestone rivers, and alpine lakes alike. I
think that most trout take it as a scud or cress bug. But it's also a
terrific producer when dead-drifted or swung subsurface during caddis
and crane fly emergences. I tie this super-spiky, high-sheen nymph using
a custom blend of SLF dubbing and natural squirrel hair with lots of
spiky guard hairs mixed in. I rake the finished fly with a stiff nylon
brush to tease out plenty of Antron fibers and squirrel guard hairs (for
spike and sheen, I haven't seen another commercially-tied squirrel
nymph in the the same league). Copper ribbing and a black Krystal Flash
tail add flash. I tie the pattern unweighted, except for the bead. Size
12, tied with a 1/8" copper bead is my standard prospecting size.
Size 16, tied with a 3/32" copper bead is great for drifting slow or
skinny water without hanging bottom, and I often fish size 16 as a
'trailing' nymph behind a larger, heavier nymph, or as a 'dropper' nymph
beneath a hopper. Fox Squirrel is our primary prospecting color. We often fish the Gray Squirrel when Charcoal Caddis hatches are popping in the Driftless Area. And we like the Black Squirrel for dirty water.
Fox Squirrel Beadhead - size 12, 16........................................Each $2.95
Size 10, tied with a 1/8" rainbow hue tungsten
bead, plus copper oval tinsel,is a bigger, flashier, faster-sinking version for prospecting
fast, deep, or dirty water. The Mega Fox Squirrel is such a potent prospecting nymph that I'm now offering it commercially in two additional colors,
which I've personally been fishing for several seasons; the Gray Squirrel Beadhead has a gray abdomen with a band of black Squirrel behind the bead; the Black Squirrel Beadhead has an all-black body.
Fox Squirrel Beadhead -size 10 with rainbow tungsten bead.............Each $3.50
Gray Squirrel Beadhead -size 10 with rainbow tungsten bead..........Each $3.50
Black Squirrel Beadhead - size 10 with rainbow tungsten bead.........Each $3.50
My most productive and versatile prospecting nymph for
targeting 'top-end' browns, its buggy silhouette and lifelike materials
make it a big-trout slayer. Fish it on an upstream dead-drift, a
down-and-across swing, or strip it through slack water—there’s no water
type or angle of presentation this hybrid nymph/wet fly can’t handle. The rabbit fur tail and
soft, webby hen hackle pulsate beautifully. The body, dubbed of blended
rabbit hair and chopped Antron, is raked with a nylon brush to marry strands of
dubbing with the soft hackle for a super-buggy look (standard Woolly
Worms, which are tied with stiff rooster saddle hackle and lifeless chenille bodies, just
don't compare). The all-black version with hot
orange tail agitates adult trout as spawning approaches. Moderately weighted.
S-H W Worm, Black/Grizzly – size 12, 16.................Each $3.25
S-H W Worm, Black w/Orange Tail - size 12, 14.....Each $3.25
S-H W Worm, Black/Grizzly - size 4, 6, 8.................Each $3.95
Black & Grizzly in size 12 is now also available
with a pink tungsten beadhead for a fast vertical drop; I’m
fishing the tungsten version a lot. This tungsten version also features 100% high-sheen ICE Dubbing and Krystalflash in the tail.
The PT
Midge incorporates proven materials (pheasant tail and fine copper
wire), but is tied without appendages to imitate small midge and caddis
larvae. From Midwestern spring creeks to Rocky Mountain tailwaters, this
is my 'go-to' micro-nymph. The black Beadhead PT Midge has
long been our primary prospecting nymph on the Bighorn river, plus when drifted
just subsurface during midge and black caddis hatches it sticks rising
fish more consistently than any dry imitation we've tried on the Bighorn. On Midwestern
Spring Creeks we take a lot of trout on a black Beadhead PT Midge
fished as a 'trailer' nymph about a foot behind a larger prospecting
nymph (usually the Fox Squirrel Beadhead). Choose natural bronze or dyed
black pheasant tail. Size 18 and 20 Beadhead version are tied with a
tiny 1/16” copper bead ideal for presenting the fly just subsurface to
rising trout (add a small size 6 or 8 shot to the tippet to present the
fly deeper). Size 16, tied with a 3/32" copper bead, sinks a bit more quickly
on its own and is my favorite 'small' prospecting nymph on Wisconsin
spring creeks, especially in summer when trout often respond best to
small nymphs.
This fly has transformed my nymphing success on some western rivers, particularly the Madison. It’s small enough to look natural in the drift, yet flashy enough to grab attention. Black and gold Krystal flash ribbed with black wire, peacock thorax, nickel bead with white Atron head tuft. Unweighted (except for bead).
The Hare’s Ear nymph has probably taken more trout than
any other nymph, which is amazing considering that most commercial
Hare’s Ears are poorly tied. I tie this one to fish up to the pattern’s
full potential, so if you like fishing the Hare's Ear, give mine a try.
My dubbing mix has a high percentage of spiky guard hairs, plus chopped
Antron for added sheen. The finished fly is raked with a nylon brush for
a super-buggy look. Canada goose wing slips match the dark gray wing
pads of mature mayfly nymphs. Most mature mayfly nymphs are olive to
brown, and the Chocolate Hare’s Ear is a close match. Moderately
weighted.
The PT Nymph in various sizes is a highly workable
imitation in color and form of most mayfly nymphs. And these are
beautifully tied (I invite you to compare proportions and tying quality
to any other commercially tied PT nymph). I tie the PT nymph
unweighted, so it can be presented just subsurface during mayfly
emergences. Or to get it down, add shot to the tippet or fish it as a
trailer behind a heavier nymph.
I first fished the Chocolate Emerger during blue-wing
olive hatches on the San Juan River and quickly adopted it for other
waters, including Wisconsin spring creeks where drifted just above
bottom or weed beds with the aid of a small split shot, it routinely
produces more and bigger fish than dun imitations do during BWO hatches.
****************************************** BUGGERS AND BAITFISH ******************************************
Conehead Soft-Hackle Bugger
This high-octane Bugger is my most productive streamer for trout (and smallmouth bass) on both moving water and stillwater. Tied with the softest, webbiest, most seductive hackle available. Plus, I'm now tying my Buggers with ICE Dub, an extremely reflective dubbing that I rake vigorously to marryhigh-sheen dubbing fibers with soft-hackle for an exceptionally bold silhouette and tremendous movement in the water (standard Buggers don't compare). Marabou tails are topped with Opal Mirage Lateral Scale, a high-strobe flash material that reflects multiple hues (gold, silver, pearl, blue). My Bi-Bugger has a unique multi-tone color scheme to suggest crayfish and sculpins. The Bi-Bugger tail is black marabou over olive marabou, topped with Lateral Scale flash. The rear half of the Bi-Bugger body is rusty brown ICE Dub palmered with grizzly soft hackle. The front half of the Bi-Bugger body is black ICE Dub palmered with black soft hackle.
I also offer Soft-Hackle Buggers in three other potent colors. I like the all Black version when Driftless trout streams are running dirty. The White/Grizzly and Chartreuse/Grizzly are amongour top flies for trophy brook trout on alpine lakes (Midwest smallmouth bass also crush them).On Midwest Spring Creeks I primarily prospect with sizes 6 and 8, We like the size 12 Mini-Bugger for our smallest Driftless creeks. For brook trout on Alpine Lakes and for Midwest Smallmouth bass we primarily fish size 6. Specify body color: Bi-Bugger, Black, White/Grizzly, Chartreuse/Grizzly.
The Rooster Rump Swimmer, with its subtle swimming action, often seals the deal when trout are not willing to grab bigger, flashier streamers. The body of the fly is palmered from 3 'aftershaft' base feathers gleaned from a rooster pheasant cape. These fine-plumed feathers undulate seductively, even at slow retrieve speeds (not even marabou plume or emu can duplicate this action.) The marabou-like tail is a soft rump feather from a rooster pheasant. Brown Krystal Flash in the body and tail add subtle flash, Moderately weighted with wire on the hook shank, plus a black metallic tungsten bead.
Rooster Rump Swimmer - size 8........................................... Each $4.25
Trophy brook trout on alpine lakes often respond best to flashy streamers like my Brookie Busters. I tie these with EP Fiber synthetic wings and high-sheen ICE dubbing ribbed with oval silver tinsel to pull trout in from considerable distances on deep, clear lakes. Soft-hackle collar adds movement. Exra-long hooks are heavily weighted with wire to sink quickly.
Brookie Buster, Pearl - size 6...............................................Each $4.25
If you enjoy probing lake depths, learn to fish this
realistic baitfish imitation. Big smallies, northern pike, walleye, and
all trout species slam it! Mylar tubing is rolled over a buoyant foam
underbody. I like to belly a sinking line below the fly and fish
it near bottom with arm-length strips and 3-second pauses. With each
strip the fly dives following the path of the line. With each pause the
fly buoys upward. It’s a remarkably snag-free method of staying in the
critical bottom zone. Tubing is coated with clear epoxy. Finished with
Doll Eyes and a short marabou tail. Size 2 (2 ¾” long) is my primary
size for bass, walleye, northern, and big trout. Size 6 is great for brook trout on alpine lakes.
My PowerHead Deer Hair Diver is tied with several modifications to dramatically boost diving
power. I spin and pack deer hair tightly over the entire hook shank, then
trim a pronounced bullet-nose backed by an exceptionally thick diving
collar that will not collapse. When the fly is stripped forcefully, a high volume of water
surges over the long nose and deflects off the stiff collar forcing the
fly into a radical dive.This diver is a favorite with many dedicated Midwest smallmouth anglers because it pushes lots of water, pierces the surface with an audible pop, and
trails a long bubble plume to attract fish from a wide radius. It also dives extra
deep and buoys back to the surface quickly—for an erratic action that
triggers vicious hits. When bass and pike are aggressive I strip the
diver aggressively and cover a lot of water. When fish are sluggish it
can be worked as subtly as any other surface bug. Specify fur strip or marabou tail. Tied on Tiemco 8089
Bass Bug Hooks. Size 2 is primarily for pike/muskies. Size 6 is my primary size for big smallies in northcountry lakes. Size 10 is usually my size of choice for river smallmouth or hunting big brown trout after dark (mousing style). Specify Color: Crawfish, Chartreuse, Frog, or Baitfish (I will also tie custom colors, including White and Black). Specify: Fur Strip or Marabou tail.
I designed this squat, chunky cricket to be tuck cast
with an audible splat that pulls trout from under cover and from a
distance. For Midwest spring creek trout, this is an ace terrestrial
imitation thatg you want in your boxes. A great terrestrial for low light or cool damp periods when
hoppers aren’t active. On smooth water I often 'kick' this cricket
actively and have seen it generate as many as two-dozen strikes from a
single pod of trout. Tied with a chunky foam body, and head, shiny black
dubbing, and black rubber legs, plus a yellow foam hot-spot indicator.
Splat Cricket, Black - size 10, 12..................................Each $3.50
Splat Cricket, Black - size 8..........................................Each $3.75
Based on the design of my super-productive Splat
Cricket, the Splat Hopper has an elongated wing (cock pheasant) topped by a short over-wing of flared cow elk hair, for a convincing hopper profile. Like the Splat Cricket, the Splat Hopper has
the heft to be tuck cast with an audible splat that pulls trout from
under grass and banks. A great hopper pattern in its own right, its
excellent visibility and buoyancy also make it my favorite 'Indicator'
fly for suspending a dropper nymph. On Wisconsin spring creeks I mostly
fish size 10; on Rocky Mountain rivers I mostly fish size 8. Barred
rubber legs. All Splat Hoppers have dull yellow dubbed underbody. Specify Foam Color: Tan or Green. Splat Hopper - sz.10, 12....................................Each $3.75
Splat Hopper - sz. 6, 8.......................................Each $3.95
Beetles can be fished more
subtly than large terrestrials, so they often hook multiple trout on a single run. A
shiny dubbed underbody with purple tint, and a glossy black shellback of stretched foam
give this imitation that metallic beetle sheen. Unbreakable monocord
legs, plus yellow hot-spot foam indicator.
Shine Beetle, Black - size 14.....................................Each $2.95
Ants abound in
streamside brush and grasses from early summer on, and trout relish
them. Tied from buoyant black foam and dubbing with distinct head,
thorax and abdomen, plus unbreakable monocord legs.
Foam Ant, Black - size 16..........................................Each $2.95
This mayfly dun imitation has proven its worth on
selective trout in just a few seasons. A tough dun imitation with a
convincing silhouette, it's my choice for matching most mayfly hatches. Based on the famed Sparkle Dun, I substitute dun colored Para Post wing
material for the traditional deer hair wing. This Watershed-treated
synthetic wing material has truer color and transparency than deer
hair. Also the synthetic wing locks upright with minimal thread,
resulting in less bulk at the tie in point and a slimmer body. And
unlike most deer hair wings, the Para Post wing stays upright thru
extended fishing. Tied with Sparkle Emerger Yarn trailing shuck. I will
tie sizes 10 to 20 in various body colors to match virtually any mayfly
dun. Specify Body Color: BWO, PMD, Mahogany, Hendrickson, Blue Dun,
Adams Gray, Sulpher Yellow, Green Drake, March Brown, Rusty Brown, Trico
(black).
Specify:hook size (10 to 20) and body color.....................Each $2.95
I fish many spring creeks and tailwaters and the DSD
no-hackle consistently fools selective trout. It sits low on the water
to imitate a freshly emerged and vulnerable mayfly dun. Duck shoulder
feathers form a convincing wing silhouette and are tougher than quill
wings. Splayed hackle tail.
DSD Blue-wing Olive – size 16, 18, 20.
DSD Pale Morning Dun (PMD) – size 14, 16.
DSD Mahogany Dun – size 16.
DSD Sulphur – size 18, 20.
DSD Blue Dun – size 14, 16, 18.
DSD Cahill – size 14, 16.
DSD Trico – size 18, 20.
DSD March Brown – size 12.
DSD Green Drake – size 12, 14...............................Each $3.50
Traditional hackled duns can still be the hot
ticket, especially on windy days when hackled duns blow and skitter across the water much
like the naturals. These duns are readily visible to fish and angler. Tied with top-quality genetic hackle and 'rolled' upright wing of natural wood duck flank.
Wood Duck Adams – size 12, 14, 16.
Wood Duck Cahill – size 14.
Wood Duck Blue Dun – size 14, 16.
Wood Duck Green Drake - size 12.
Wood Duck March Brown – size 12..........................Each $3.50
During mayfly hatches trout often key on ascending
nymphs as they struggle to break through the surface film and emerge as
winged duns. The floating nymph with its pronounced foam wing case
suspends in the surface film imitating this highly vulnerable emergent
stage. Most mature mayfly nymphs are dark olive to brown with dark gray
wing pads so toting the Rusty Floating Nymph in a range of sizes equips
you to match most emergences.
Floating Nymph, Rusty – sz. 14, 16, 18...................Each $2.75
The Rusty Spinner in a range of sizes equips
you to cover most important mayfly spinner falls. Even when there isn’t
an obvious spinner fall, fishing a spinner into darkness often produces a
few bonus hookups. Antron wings have the translucency of live spinner
wings and are reinforced with Flexament cement to maintain their
profile. I'll also tie in other body colors on request.
The Cow Elk Caddis is my favorite prospecting dry for both Midwest spring creeks and alpine lakes.
It’s tough and easy to track, and suggests a range of insects including
adult caddis, craneflies, large midges, and small stoneflies. I wing these caddis with carefully selected cow elk hair that
is superior in buoyancy and mottling to the bull elk hair used on most
caddis. Tied with brown hackle and body or grizzly hackle and gray
body. The grizzly version is great for matching hatches of Charcoal Caddis, that hatch on Driftless spring creeks from early April to late May. I'll also tie with other body and hackle colors on reguest (olive, tan, black, etc.)
Elk Caddis, Brown – sz. 12, 14, 16, 18.
Elk Caddis, Grizzly – sz. 12, 14, 16, 18......................Each $2.75
During many caddis hatches the winged adults get off
the water so quickly that trout primarily ingest emergers. This fly with
its short elk hair wing and trailing shuck represents a half-emerged
and vulnerable caddis. Try fishing this low-riding emerger right in the film during caddis hatches. I've also seen this pattern shine during mayfly emergences,
particularly of PMD's.
This downwing dry has a Stimulator-like profile, but I
tie it in smaller sizes amd muted natural tones. It's one of my
favorite prospecting dries for Midwest spring creeks, western
rivers, and high lakes. The wing is a non-absorbent winter snowshoe hare
foot. I palmer matching hackle over a dun or brown body and add grizzly
hackle at the thorax. A tail of stiff hackle fibers helps support the
fly.
This longtime Wisconsin favorite with downwing profile
and Royal Wulff color scheme is a superb attractor dry on trout water everywhere. Brown body and
hackle, white calf-body wing, and genuine wood duck flank tail.
Pass Lake – size 14, 16............................................Each $3.25
These high-grade Wulffs are tough, visible dries that
shine on swift currents and jumbled pocket water. I always pack a few
primary color schemes. My Hare’s Ear Wulff has a hare’s ear body and
grizzly hackle – a great prospecting combination. Small, size 16 Wulffs
are great for late evening when even educated tailwater trout often take
them confidently.
The Grizzly Gnat belongs in every fly vest in every region. It imitates
large midges and mating clusters of small midges. Grizzly hackle
palmered over a peacock body is often irresistible to trout.
When the water is blanketed with adult midges you may
need to pound a specific fish with a convincing imitation until it
selects your fly from the flotilla of naturals. The Topwater Midge is a
good one. It has a few turns of thorax hackle trimmed flush with the
bottom of the body for a low float, plus an Antron wing. The Pheasant/Grizzly version has the same color scheme as
the Grizzly Gnat, but the trimmer profile better imitates small midges.
