photo by Bryan Eldredge
Sometimes, trout in rivers don’t seem to be eating one particular insect, so what’s a fly fisherman to do? I carry a collection of patterns that catch fish during those times when you simply can’t tell what the fish want to eat. Here are my favorites:
1. Higa’s S.O.S. Size 16-20.
Colors: I prefer the original black.
This is my top confidence fly for the past four years or so. I got to fish it as a prototype and have caught fish on it during all seasons of the year all over the West. The SOS’s medium to small sizes imitate both mayfly nymphs, such as pale morning duns and blue-winged olives, as well as midges. A little flash, a little color, segmented body. . . It just has a little of everything that makes it tempting to a trout. I love to fish this fly as a dropper under a dry as well as in a nymph rig.
