Umpqua Mercury RS-2 Flashback Gray Emerger Fly

Overview

The Mercury RS-2 Flashback is Pat Dorsey's glass-bead version of the RS-2, the emerger Rim Chung created in the early 1970s and Tom Whitley later tied with a flashback.

It has a sparse dun tail, a thin gray dubbed abdomen and a Glamour Madeira wing, with a small silver-lined glass bead at the head. The bead imitates the bubble of gas an emerging mayfly or midge uses to rise and split its shuck, a trigger trout see constantly during a hatch. The RS-2 family works in many conditions, and it is especially good early in a mayfly hatch when fish are taking emergers below the surface.

Euro Specs

• Bead: Glass, silver-lined.
• Hook: Standard dry/emerger hook.
• Role: Dropper (trailing fly); not heavy enough to anchor a rig.

How to Fish It

• Trailing fly: fish it 12 to 18 inches behind a heavier nymph under an indicator on 6X or 7X.
• In the film: grease the leader to within a few inches of the fly and fish it just under the surface to rising fish.
• Dry-dropper: hang it behind a small parachute dry during BWO and midge hatches.
• Tailwaters: a year-round fly below dams for midges, and spring and fall for Baetis.

Choosing Color and Size

Gray is the original RS-2 color and matches both BWO emergers and gray midges. Choose 18 for larger BWOs and early-season hatches, and 20 for smaller naturals and clear, slow water.