If I could choose only one fly to have in my fly box, what would it be? The Murray’s Olive Marauder. I have great success with this fly not only for smallmouth bass all across the country but also for trout in the East and West.
The materials we tie this with and style of its construction enable us to fish it across stream to mimic the minnows and upstream as a nymph.
When I’m fishing the large streams in the Rockies, my Olive Marauder catches more large browns and rainbows than any other fly by six to one.
In the summer, when fishing for smallmouth bass in Virginia, this fly out fishes all other streamers for the large fish by ten to one.
This fly is available in my fly shop in Edinburg in sizes 6, 8, 10 & 12. The sizes 6 & 8 feature a dumbbell eye that I typically use for the larger trout streams out west and for the smallmouth bass all over. The sizes 10 & 12 feature a bead head which works well for me in the smaller stocked trout streams near my home. Last year we decided to add an addition to the Marauder family with the Tungsten Bead Marauder in size 10. This is a super fast sinking fly that works well in fast currents or deeper water. Several years ago many of my bass anglers asked for a big fly that they could get down deep in the cooler water to catch the largest bass of the season. This prompted me to add another addition to the family–Tungsten Cone Head Marauder in size 4.