The RS2

Brian D.

It seems like RS2s are a popular fly for a bunch of folks who like fishing tiny stuff, but I don't seem to have much luck with them. I catch a lot of fish on WD40s, which are at least vaguely similar as patterns go, but RS2s don't do much for me.

What am I missing?

bd

Juliet

Tungsten.

Seriously, sounds like a confidence issue. Fish a pattern you have no confidence in, and you'll get blanked every time.

Bubba Finghas

I fish a double tung WD40 and it really kicks ****.

ricinus

I go with the confidence thing also. I'm trying to fish more soft hackles- just because- but I ended up going to a Pheasant tail; my fav.

Mike

fishingcomic

Brian D. wrote: »

It seems like RS2s are a popular fly for a bunch of folks who like fishing tiny stuff, but I don't seem to have much luck with them. I catch a lot of fish on WD40s, which are at least vaguely similar as patterns go, but RS2s don't do much for me.

What am I missing?

bd

I never have luck with them when I try them in the surface film. Down deep I have caught quite a few on them.

Juliet

you don't have much 'luck' fishing tricos do you?

Brian D. wrote: »

It seems like RS2s are a popular fly for a bunch of folks who like fishing tiny stuff, but I don't seem to have much luck with them. What am I missing?

bd

Juliet

Brian D. wrote: »

It seems like RS2s are a popular fly for a bunch of folks who like fishing tiny stuff, but I don't seem to have much luck with them. I catch a lot of fish on WD40s, which are at least vaguely similar as patterns go, but RS2s don't do much for me.

What am I missing?

bd

Tie 'em with CDC instead of that piece of pheasant rump or whatever. Worse comes to worst, take the split shot off and use them as dries.

Jason

The RS2 seems to have lots of variations. I've had good success with an olive body cdc winged version on tailwaters, fished in the film. I also had pretty good luck with a wire ribbed version on some high country lakes in RMNP, though I suspect just about anything would have worked in that situation.

This is a pic of one similar to what I've had good luck on.

Juliet

Jason wrote: »

The RS2 seems to have lots of variations. I've had good success with an olive body cdc winged version on tailwaters, fished in the film. I also had pretty good luck with a wire ribbed version on some high country lakes in RMNP, though I suspect just about anything would have worked in that situation.

This is a pic of one similar to what I've had good luck on.

Looks like my CDC BWO

George K

What Steven said.

Brian D.

monkeydoes wrote: »

you don't have much 'luck' fishing tricos do you?

We don't really have much in the way of tricos around here. Maybe that's the problem.

We get occasional hatches of BWOs here and there, but our local fish don't seem too impressed by them. I've seen them midging or taking caddis out of a crowd of BWOs that are all being ignored.

When I've fished the RS2, I've been fishing it as a midge emerger, the same way I use the WD40. Could be that I'm casting the right fly at the wrong times.

bd

Juliet

I think it fishes better as a nymph.

George K

sherb wrote: »

I think it fishes better as a nymph.

Out west it probably does. Here in PA limestone country the CDC version works as a BWO emerger. A little trailing clear poly braid looking like a cripple's shuck makes it work even better. Essentially the same fly, but in yellow or orange, is deadly during the evening sulphur hatch.

gatsby

There have been other threads on fishing blogs where the discussion was if you could only carry one fly...... I fished a private property on the Yampa just downstream from Steamboat this past weekend. The pattern that worked consistently was the RS 2 and it is a fly I would nominate for "if I could only carry one fly." I have also been successful with this pattern on the surface. It is an emerger pattern, basically. And if fish are eating emergers.... Gangbusters.