by Matt O'Neal of Savage Flies: Find him on his YouTube channel at Savage Flies
This month’s pattern is a dry fly called the Rio Grande King Fly. Dug up from a July 1968 issue of Sports Illustrated, but also found in Raymond Scott Stetzer's, “Flies, The Best 1,000” in which he had it tied slightly differently, with upright white duck slips for a wing.
History of the Rio Grande King Fly
Another more recent book this pattern was featured in was Dave Hughes’ 1999 “Trout Flies” in which he had it with white calftail for a wing, tied Trude style. That’s the pattern we’re going to feature here.
The history of this pattern is not really known but we do know the Trude style of fly was created in 1906 by Carter Harrison from Chicago.
He came up with it while fishing on the Trude Ranch in Idaho so it's likely this fly was created sometime after that, perhaps as early as the 1920s. Maybe it was inspired by something as classic as the standard Coachman but with a white calftail wing tied Trude style.
We may never know the exact history but whatever the origin, it's a really cool looking fly and according to a few of the sources out there it's been a really effective fly.
Now this is not really a forgotten fly as there are a few references to it out there, but it does seem odd that it's not in more books.
Rio Grande Kind Fly Recipe
Recipe:
Hook: #12-14 dry fly
Thread: Black
Tail: Golden pheasant tippets
Body: Black chenille
Wing: White calftail, Trude style
Hackle: Brown dry fly
10 comments
Forrest Fothergill
Chuck Fothergill said “A perennial favorite wet fly with Colorado fishermen, probably because it was created by a Denver angler, Jim Douglas, and because it has taken thousands of trout. Many old timers consider it the best fly they use. Normally tied in sizes 8 through 14, this fly offers extremely good visibility to fish on all water conditions. I would fish it upstream allowing a free float until the downstream swing starts. After the swing brings the fly directly downstream, jerk it upstream a few times and let drift back down. Repeat a couple of times before making next cast. When water is high during run-off, try fishing this pattern in the quiet water along shore.” I don’t know why he credits Jim Douglas of Denver.
RICHARD A DOMINGUE
I hope I can post this. The RGK was Richard O’connor’s go-to fly, perhaps one of the finest gentleman anglers I’ve met. You will like the story. https://vault.si.com/vault/1968/07/15/a-onefly-angler-who-always-travels-light
John Winchell
My father’s favorite fly on the streams of the Sierras back in the 50s and 60s. He taught me to tie it when I was about 12.
Bob
You might want to edit this article: i.e.
The author of Flies The Best 1,000 is
Randle Scott Stetzer formerly an employee at Kaufmann’s Fly Shop in
Tigard, OR and an aquaintance of mine.
Greg S
Looks a lot the Pass Lake, too!! Make the wing white calf tail and tie it Trude style and you have a Wisconsin favorite!!
George D
Very similar to the classic western coachman!
Dan
Cal Bird
Larry Tullis
The Rio Grande Trude is one of my favored attractor dry flies. Fish it about a month after the main stonefly hatches. I believe trout get a faded mental imprint of foods that they fed heavily on and attractors like this trigger a feeding response, even though the hatch is over and it doesn’t exactly imitate any current foods. Use during non-hatch periods to stimulate some rises. It worked for cicada times too, on the Green River, Utah, before imitations improved on the early 80’s.
alejandro ferreyra
Muy buena mosca. Simple. Pocos materiales. Fácil de hacer. Muchas gracias, desde la Patagonia Norte Argentina, cordialmente Alejandro
Rick Arambula
I remember my father talking about fishing this fly on the Taylor, East and Gunnison Rivers in the Gunnison, Crested Butte areas of Colorado in the early 1940’s. He loved this fly and caught many trout on it. I will tie it in his memory.