It’s been a while since we featured a pattern from Connecticut-based guide Rich Strolis, but as soon as I saw this one go up, I like it. Usually, when someone refers to a pattern as a “guide fly,” that means it’s 1. easy to tie, and 2. more effective than it looks. Strolis’s Rat’s Nest seems to fit the bill on both counts, and he suggests that you can fish it both as a nymph and as a streamer/wet fly.
Rat’s Nest
Hook: 2X-long slightly humped dry-fly hook (here a TMC 2302), sizes 6-10.
Bead: Black tungsten bead.
Weight: Lead wire or wrap of your choice.
Thread: Gray-brown, 6/0 or 140 denier.
Body & Tail: Olive Senyo’s Laser Dub (#263).
Rib: Olive Flexi-Floss.
Adhesive: UV resin.
Tools: Dubbing spinner, dubbing brush.