When I first started fly fishing I used a lot of attractor flies, and one of my favorites was the Royal Wulff. It was easy to see and fish loved it! Over the years as I got into entomology and matching the hatch I moved away from attractor style flies and focused on flies that more closely resembled the bugs in the water and the Royal Wulff gave way to Comparaduns. As a result of matching natural insects, very few of the flies in my box incorporated red, except for the butt of a Dave’s Hopper and a cinnamon ant.
One day while talking with the shopkeeper and fly tier at the old Riverkeeper Fly Shop in preparation for a winter midging trip to the Big Wood River he talked me into buying some emergers that had a mylar red rib—he said they were magic! I took them to the river and they sat in my box while I fished all of my regular flies. I still remember the pool I was fishing because nothing was working that day. Fish were rising and ignoring my fly. Finally, I tied on the new “magic” midge emerger and on the first cast a trout grabbed it and for the next half hour that fly caught fish after fish until it was torn to shreds and the hatch was over. I’ve kept that fly as a memory of that day, and a reminder of the magic of a little red can do.
Over the last 10 years, more of my flies have incorporated red on them, and by far the most effective time to fish red seems to be mid-winter into early spring. And while red on a dry fly can sometimes be magic (I love Dry Fly Innovations Blood Midge fly pattern), I have had the most success with red on my midge nymphs. Three of my most successful patterns have been a simple red zebra midge, a red/black “Deadpool” midge, and a flash-back Spanish Bullet. All are easy to tie and worth adding to your winter fly box--I find smaller sizes from #18, #20 and even #22 flies do the best. Try tying some with a glass bead and use them as a dropper underneath a dry fly early in the hatch.
I’ve often asked myself why red? Some midges have hemoglobin in their blood, and you will often hear them referred to as “bloodworms”. The book Midge Magic by Don Holbrook and Ed Koch is an excellent book, and a must read if you are a midge fishermen. Don spent 25 years studying midge specimens, often from trout stomachs. Their book has some great midge photographs and fly patterns, many which are red.
Another possible explanation for red flies working on rainbow trout in late winter and early spring is fish biology. Red is a key spawning color, used to attract a mate. Studies have shown that stickleback minnows become attenuated to the color red during spawning (which is also a spawning color for them). The rods and cones in the eyes of trout and other salmonids can shift to see different wavelengths, so it is reasonable to assume that a red fly might get their attention as their bodies get ready to spawn (or it all could just be another of Troy’s crazy theories ;-). But whatever the case, red nymphs can catch some BIG FISH! Here is a beautiful rainbow trout from the Boise River that fell for a Deadpool Midge in early Spring—one of the largest rainbow’s I’ve caught on the Boise. And take note: a red zebra midge took first, second and third place in the virtual whitefish derby last year, so make sure to tie some up for this year’s derby!
The moral of this story is: When it comes to sealing the deal, size matters. But when it comes to attracting the fish’s attention, attractor colors can be a game changer. Try some red this winter and see for yourself!
