Umpqua RS2 Emerger Fly

Overview

Created by Rim Chung, the RS-2 takes its name from "Rim's Semblance 2." For roughly three decades it has been one of the most trusted small flies on tailwaters and spring creeks.

It is sparse by design: a slim dubbed body, a short split tail and a stubby wing that suggests the wing of an insect pushing out of its shuck. Fished deep it looks like a nymph; fished near the top it looks like an emerger stuck in or just under the surface film. Chung designed it first as an emerger, and that is still where it shines, when trout are sipping small mayflies and midges just below the surface.

How to Fish It

• As a nymph: dead drift it up and across, trailing a small weighted fly or with a micro shot above it.
• As an emerger: dead drift it near the surface behind a small dry, or let it swing at the end of the drift. Expect a strike as the fly starts to rise, which mimics a natural emerging.
• Tippet: 7X is the right match for a size 24 fly.
• When: any time small Baetis or midges are hatching, which on a tailwater can be any month of the year.

Choosing Color and Size

This listing is Olive in size 24. Olive matches small Blue-Winged Olive nymphs and emergers, and size 24 is for the smallest bugs and the most selective fish, especially in winter and on flat, clear water.