Two of the older gentlemen in my advanced college fly tying classes came to me with a request. A dry fly that floats like a cork, that can easily be seen on the stream, and matches several of the major hatches. This became our most popular trout fly–the Mr. Rapidan Dry Fly.
This is a perfect match for the Epeorus pleuralis mayfly and Stenonema vicarium mayfly. Remember, the trout sees mainly the bodies of the mayflies he is feeding upon. So during the first several years I sold this fly I actually had to blend several body materials to achieve the body color I wanted.
In the Rockies in late fall, there are many great hatches of olives and pseudocleons on the streams. I found that the Mr. Rapidan Parachute Dry size 16, 18, and 20 are very effective. Plus the yellow wing of my dry helps me spot my fly on the water even when the snow if flying.
An interesting story occurred when Jeff and I were on a guide trip on the Snake River with our friend Paul Bruun when the fishing was slow. Paul reached into his fly box and pulled out two Mr. Rapidan Dry size 16 and handed them to us. He said, “I don’t know what these little yellow-wing drys are but they often work well on the Snake River when nothing else will.”
Today, the Mr. Rapidan Dry is still our most popular trout fly and best selling fly in the fly shop.