Wow is all I can say about this Baetis emerger pattern by Rich Strolis of Catching-Shadows Guide Service. Rich has been on fire lately cranking out one beautiful fly pattern after another and this mayfly emerger pattern is no exception. I will definitely be tying a few of these up this weekend getting ready for one of my favorite hatches of the year, the Blue-Winged Olives.
Baetis Emerger Material List
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Hook: TMC 108SP-BL
Thread: UTC 70
Shuck: Orangutan Ice Fur
Collar: Ostrich
Legs: Partridge
Wing: Snowshoe Rabbit
Body/Head: Superfine dubbing
Baetis Emerger Behavior
In case you missed it, we have been reviewing the mayfly life cycle and fly patterns that imitate the various stages of mayfly development in our Friday Night Fly Tying Video Series and Baetis emergers are on cue.
Once ready to emerge from the nymphal shuck, Baetis nymphs float to the water surface where they hang in the surface film before emerging as a dun and ready to take flight. Most Blue-Winged Olives are small, size 16 to 18, and being small often struggle to break through the water surface. During this period they are prime time trout food.
Keys to Effective Baetis Emerger Fly Patterns
As Rich points out, a few key features of Blue Wing Olive emerger fly patterns include:
- Body color resembles that of the adult
- Trailing shuck
- Emergent wings, not fully developed
- Low profile/partially submerged in the water
The latter attribute Rich really nails using the rather unique TMC 108 spbl dolphin shaped emerger hook. Check out how perfectly the Shucked Up Emerger floats half submerged (shown at the end of the video). If I were a trout I'd be fooled!
How To Fish Blue Wing Olive Emergers
BWO emergers can basically be fished like a dry fly on a drag free drift. In winter, the soft water below a riffle is a great place to fish when trout are a little more sluggish from the cold temperature.
Trout will also tend to stack up feeding in slow water along the edges of faster currents. Let's also not forget about eddies, where big trout will hang out along the foam line sipping emergers until they are stuffed. All hale the foam!
As the hatch progresses and duns start to appear on the water, trout will often continue to key in on the emergers because they are easy pray, so don't be in a hurry to switch flies if you are catching fish.
Shucked Up Emerger Takes on Competition
I mentioned in an earlier post, Feather-Craft is holding a pretty cool fly tying contest for aspiring tiers looking to break into the big leagues. Rich has entered several flies including his Shucked Up Emerger. If you think you have what it takes, pony up your fly. It's going to be great competition and I look forward to all the entries!
Enjoy!
p.s. This video is one in a series on Baetis fly patterns including deep nymphs, floating nymphs, emergers, cripples, duns, wet flies and spinners.
Beads, feathers, fur – oh my! Looking for the best deal on fly tying materials? Check out our new eBay fly shop. With over 65,000 items in stock, you might be surprised what you find.
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Nice pattern and well tied. A great pattern here NW Wyoming
The upper Bighorn tailwater has been smoking the last couple of days and the lower Shoshone is beginning to see some BWO activity. Any day now fishing is going to explode as long as temps stay reasonable. The most exciting action right now comes from lake trout stacking up in the ice free shallows chasing big streamers. On a 7/8 wt things can get interesting very quickly.
Nice pattern and well tied. A great pattern here NW Wyoming
The upper Bighorn tailwater has been smoking the last couple of days and the lower Shoshone is beginning to see some BWO activity. Any day now fishing is going to explode as long as temps stay reasonable. The most exciting action right now comes from lake trout stacking up in the ice free shallows chasing big streamers. On a 7/8 wt things can get interesting very quickly.
Thanks for the update Wyotyer. Sounds awesome – very jealous! I may need to sneak in a trip out west this spring…hmmmm
Please forgive the duplication.