Resident trout in Colorado's beautiful Yampa River are notorious for
their selective feeding habits. No one is
more familiar with these finicky feeding habits on the Yampa than
longtime guide and fly tyer, Paul Russell. In fact, one selective trout
in particular, the "Rotary Park Trout," named for the stretch of river
he inhabited, was considered "uncatchable" by folks who fished the
Yampa regularly. Uncatchable the Rotary Trout was, that is, until
Russell developed a fly pattern specifically for this wily monster.
Russell's
Pablo's Cripple Midge is a phenomenal fly pattern designed to imitate a
crippled Midge. The fly's design focuses on the color changes in the
abdomen of emergent midges as well as the trailing shuck left behind
the bug during a failed emergence. Give this fly a shot next time you
find yourself scratching your head as your flies float past that
supremely selective trout.
Specifications:
- This fly pattern was developed by Paul Russell to fool the wariest trout on Colorado's Yampa River
- The fly focuses its design elements on color differences and a trailing shuck in order to better imitate a crippled emerger
- Midge imitation in the cripple life stage
- Fishes effectively in all types of trout water
- Dead drift through slower water and eddies
- Faster riffles and current seams can also be great spots to dead drift a midge larva pattern
- Midges are often most effectively fished when attached as a dropper to a larger nymph or when fished just below the water’s surface with a large dry fly as a strike indicator
- Because of the common and widespread nature of midge species, trout anglers ought to keep a wide selection of midge fly patterns in their fly boxes
- SIZE 20
When and Where to Fish Russell’s Pablo's Cripple Midge
This
midge cripple is most effectively fished as an impressionistic fly
pattern when searching for trout. When searching, fish this fly in all
types of trout environments. Dead drift it through the faster riffles
and current seams of your favorite spring creeks and rivers or lightly
dap it onto the surface of a quiet back eddy or along the shoreline of
sleepy, trout infested lake you like to keep a secret. Because midge
populations are so widespread and so prolific in numbers, a fly angler
can always count on finding a solid selection of midges in the water
they fish. Simply turn over rocks or drag a net through the main
current to find the color and size of the midges in your local water.
Midges are active on water across North America throughout the year and
are an important source of nutrition for feeding trout.
How to Fish Russell’s Pablo's Cripple Midge
Fish
this fly in all types of trout water. Slow water, backwaters, eddys,
and spring creeks are prime real estate for these small midges, so
drift them through these areas to see what action they turn up. These
crippled emergers can also be quite easily caught in the main current,
so don’t be afraid to dead drift a midge cripple pattern right through
a well-defined current seam. Although anglers will find great success
on lots of rivers and lakes with these simple techniques and a single
midge pattern, another effective use of a midge cripple pattern is in
concert with a larger nymph or dry fly. Tie on a midge cripple as a
dropper behind your favorite mayfly nymph during a heavy hatch or fish
a midge cripple with a large dry fly as an indicator – these strategies
can yield big results!
Midge
Sometimes referred to as “True Flies,” midges are
aquatic insects of the order Diptera, meaning two-winged. Most people
are familiar with the common mosquito which is a midge, and most trout
are familiar not only with the mosquito, but also with the hundreds of
other species of midges that can be found in their watery homes. Midges
are relatively small aquatic insects that can be found in just about
any freshwater (and brackish) environment on the planet, and despite
their diminutive size, the hundreds of species of these mosquito-like
bugs compose a quite significant portion of a healthy trout’s diet.
Midges, like caddis, undergo a complete metamorphosis, and experience a
larva, pupa, and adult life stage within a typical life cycle.
Midge Crippled Emerger Life Stage
During
its larva life stage, these small wormy insects are commonly found
throughout the many different types of water where trout are found.
Midge larvae are often transparent and take on hues of color; green,
red, cream, tan, and black are the most common colors for these small
larvae. Midge larvae can be found in large numbers among rocky and
debris littered river bottoms, along the shorelines of lakes, and
floating along the main current of rivers and spring creeks throughout
North America. These relatively defenseless insects are vulnerable to
feeding trout at any point during their life cycle, especially during
and after a failed emergence. These simple crippled emergers can
produce excellent results for trout anglers fishing anywhere in the
world.
About the Tyer: Paul Russell
Some anglers are
so observant of their fly fishing environments, they become almost as
instinctively connected to what's going on as the resident trout they
pursue with flies of feather and fur. Paul Russell has guided clients
on the Yampa River in Colorado for years, and he's well known for his
keen observation skills; nothing on a trout river gets by Paul. In
addition to becoming one of Colorado's most respected fly fishing
guides, Russell has also become one of the best modern fly tyers in the
western United States. He is a contract fly designer with Umpqua
Feather Merchants and is most famous for his Pablo's Cripple pattern.
Leland on Umpqua
In
1972 a man named Dennis Black and his fly tying skills found themselves
in high demand. Mr. Black, then a professional production fly tyer, was
famous in the industry for his unsurpassed skill and speed with
whipping up tremendously beautiful and precisely constructed flies. It
wasn’t long until this young fly tying superstar realized that he ought
to take his consistent approach to quality to the next level. Shortly
after this realization, a small army of fly tyers had banded together
to support Mr. Black’s vision. With the likes of Dave Whitlock, Jack
Dennis, and Andy Puyans, Mr. Black was officially in business.
Dennis
Black’s new company Umpqua Feather Merchants quickly extended its reach
and fly production capabilities with expansion into India, Sri Lanka,
and Thailand, where the world’s first and full blown “fly tying
factories” were built. Since those early days, only the highest
standard of excellence has marked Umpqua and this commitment to quality
and efficiency continues to spur the company forward. Dennis Black’s
innovative vision for “fly production” has truly revolutionized how the
fly industry operates and has ultimately made the majority of
production flies better. From the first “royalty system” for rewarding
the most creative professional fly tyers to streamlining production
systems and offering a range of other products, Umpqua Feather
Merchants just seems to “do it all.”
Today, Umpqua Feather
Merchants is without a doubt the world’s best and most prolific
supplier of hand tied fly fishing flies as well as fly tying hooks and
materials, and they recently got better! Umpqua’s brand new, state of
the art headquarters in Louisville, Colorado marks another paradigm
shift in the way fly tying business is done. From its vast warehouse to
its specially designed inventory management and tracking system, Umpqua
is poised to continue its energetic trajectory and lead the way for the
next generation of flies and fly tyers.
Umpqua on Umpqua
"As
you may or may not know, we're the largest producer of quality
hand-tied flies in the world. We also make available through your local
fly shop a wide array of the finest fly-tying hackle and Tiemco hooks.
At
Umpqua we offer everything the angler needs to a have a first class
fishing experience. (Everything that is, but the water and the fish.)"
Umpqua on Dennis Black and the “Obvious Quest”
“The
idea first took shape in the hands of our founder, Dennis Black, back
in 1972. As a fast and facile professional fly tyer, Dennis was known
for his skill and speed at producing hundreds of dozens of flies each
year for the larger mail order houses. But he was also quick to realize
how fast the demand for excellent flies would outstrip the abilities of
cottage industry types like him.
The Obvious Quest: To create
excellent flies in sufficient supply – without sinking his standards.
In response, Dennis developed (with characteristic care) a methodical
plan: First, he enlisted the tying expertise of the likes of Dave
Whitlock, Jack Dennis, Andy Puyans and others, to help him set the
standard of excellence for Umpqua flies.
Next, Dennis
established the first of what would eventually be five separate
fly-tying “factories,” first in India, then in Sri Lanka, and finally
in Thailand. The primary focus at each of these factories was on
producing the very best fishing flies possible, constructed of the very
best materials available. From the beginning, the quantity of flies
produced was secondary to the quality and excellence of each fly
pattern. These high standards were assured by the personal involvement
of the fly designers themselves, and by the ever-increasing skill,
imagination and creativity of the Umpqua production fly tiers. Today,
you will find no flies more skillfully tied than those available from
Umpqua Feather Merchants.
Finally, Dennis created a system of
royalty payments, to reward professional tyers like Whitlock, Lefty
Kreh, Randall Kaufman, Larry Dahlberg, and Bob Popovics for uniquely
good patterns.
The Result: Today, Umpqua produces umpteen
thousand dozen flies, from micro-scopic midge imitations to the huge
patterns favored by marlin and sailfish. And the "Umpquality" – you’ll
see for yourself.”
