Emergers
In my opinion, emerger patterns, whether they be midge or mayfly imitations, are the most fun to fish. If you happen across the right fly in the right situation, you can literally catch fish on every other cast because these sub-surface and film patterns don't seem to get the scrutiny that dries do. Pay close attention to how the fish are surface feeding; if you are only seeing their back fins and the occasional nose, emerging patterns will be more productive than dry-fly patterns. I have read that because of the danger presented by large birds and other animals that prey on fish, trout feel safer feeding below the surface. My experience has verified that theory; I have seen that fish will more readily take an emerger drifting by than a surface pattern. In my opinion it is because the fish has to make a quick decision before the chance to feed is lost and they would rather feed in there comfort zone. These patterns are especially productive in the 15-30 minute period prior to the hatch (it pays to know when the hatches are happening for the river you are fishing!) During the hatch, an emerger can be fished as a dropper on a dry pattern, just tie on 12-18 inches of tippet to the bend in the hook of the dry fly. When fished in this manner, use the dry fly as your strike indicator. The RS2 pattern is quite popular on the South Platte river. In fact, it was tied by angler specifically for the river. There is a detailed web page explaining the history and tying instructions for the RS2 that you can see by clicking here. Foam wing emerger patterns are becoming more and more popular every season. The loop-wing pattern is probably my favorite and I use it on all of the waters mentioned on this page. Loop-wings have been especially productive for me on the William's Fork and Colorado rivers. I would suggest the following colors for foam-wings, loop-wings, and rs2's: grey, light olive, dark olive, brown, tan, black, and cream.
Bead-Head Serendipity Loop-wing RSII
*Olive, Black, Brown body *Dark Olive body/legs/tail *Grey, Tan, Olive body
Foam-wing Bead-Head Prince Parachute Adams
*Grey, Olive, Black body *No bead-head (tie weighted) *Parachute patterns for every
dry fly are important
Sparkle Caddis Pupa Comparadun
*Dark Olive, Grey Body
Midges~Dries~Nymphs~Terrestrials~Classics