Leland Fly Fishing Outfitters

Pablo's Cripple Baetis - Blue Winged Olive, Cripple, 18

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No one is more familiar with these finicky feeding habits on Colorado's Yampa River than longtime guide and fly tyer, Paul Russell. In fact, one selective trout in particular, the "Rotary Park Trout," named for the stretch of river he inhabited, was considered "uncatchable" by folks who fished the Yampa regularly. Uncatchable the Rotary Trout was, that is, until Russell developed a fly pattern specifically for this wily monster.

Russell's Pablo's Cripple - Baetis or Blue Winged Olive is a phenomenal fly pattern designed to imitate a crippled Baetis or Blue Winged Olive. The fly's design focuses on the color changes in the abdomen of emergent mayflies as well as the prominent trailing shuck left behind the bug during a failed emergence. Give this fly a shot next time you find yourself scratching your head as your flies float past that supremely selective trout.

Specifications:

• This fly pattern was developed by Paul Russell to fool the wariest trout on Colorado's Yampa River
• The fly focuses its design elements on color differences and a trailing shuck in order to better imitate a crippled emerger
• Baetis or Blue Wing Olive imitation in the cripple life stage
• Use as either an impressionistic searching fly or as a realistic imitation when matching the hatch
• Fish on a dead drift in all types of water; riffles and faster water are the most productive types
• Best results early in the morning or later in the evening
• Minimize surface commotion by using synthetic yarn or a large dry fly as a strike indicator
• Strikes are subtle, so timely hook sets are important
• Giving the fly a few twitches during the drift can simulate the struggle of an emergent insect and attract opportunistic trout
• SIZE 18

When and Where to Fish Russell’s Pablo's Cripple - Baetis or Blue Wing Olive

This mayfly cripple emerger can be fished as either an impressionistic fly pattern when searching for trout or as a realistic imitation when matching the hatch. When searching, fish this fly in medium to fast water early in the morning or later in the evening – this is the time when Baetis and blue winged olives are most active. When fishing the Baetis or blue winged olive hatch, these bugs will float, drift, and swim into from the river bottom to the water’s surface, so try this pattern out just prior to or during the hatch of adult duns as feeding trout will often zero in on these insects in their emergent stage. When trout are keyed in on crippled Baetis and blue winged olives, look for the gentle, sipping rises of feeding fish and cast your emerger pattern to these areas of subtle activity. This bug will yield the best results in areas where struggling Baetis and Blue Wing Olives are visible at or just below the surface film.

How to Fish Russell’s Pablo's Cripple - Baetis or Blue Wing Olive

Fish this fly on a dead drift through all the major water types and always be careful to make sure your offering is riding high in the surface film, the zone where real emergers struggle to hatch. When fishing this fly pattern in shallow water of good to excellent clarity, be very careful not to disturb the holding trout. Be sure to select a longer leader with lighter diameter tippet material; creating too much commotion on the water’s surface with heavy or otherwise inappropriate terminal tackle can spook wary trout. Adding a few twitches to the rod tip during the drift can simulate a struggling or crippled mayfly emerger. Takes on Baetis and blue winged olives tend to be extremely subtle, so do not hesitate to set the hook at the slightest tug on your leader.

Baetis

Baetis are olive colored mayflies that occur in trout water throughout North America. The wide distribution of this common swimming nymph makes it an important year-round staple in a trout’s diet. During the larval stage, Baetis thrive in the well-oxygenated water of medium to fast riffles and longer runs. Baetis follows the life stages of a typical mayfly life cycle and hatches year-round with more intense emergences occurring warmer months. Baetis is quite similar in appearance to the Blue Winged Olive (Drunella), a genus of mayfly common to the trout waters of northeastern North America. This similarity often causes confusion, but in angling practice, these bugs are fantastic substitutes for one another and their imitations are often considered interchangeable for fishing purposes.

Baetis Cripple Life Stage

During its nymph life stage, these strong swimmers are commonly found in many different types of water. The most prolific populations tend to occur in well-oxygenated water; look for them in riffles and longer runs. Because their swimming ability is well-developed, these nymphs will commonly expose themselves by making adventurous trips away from safety just before emergence and subsequent hatching, making an emergent or crippled Baetis an important meal for hungry trout. Baetis emergers are available to trout throughout the year and are most active in the mornings and evenings. These slender-bodied nymphs are brown to olive in color and just prior to and upon emergence, their wing pads will darken significantly and take on a wet sheen, signifying an impending hatch.

Blue Winged Olive

The blue winged olive (Drunella) is a genus of mayfly commonly active in northeastern North America’s trout waters from early spring (May) through the late summer months (August and early September). At a time when caddis hatches are prolific and the mayflies of spring and summer are gone, the blue winged olive offers fly anglers a fantastic late-season chance at fishing a classic mayfly hatch. These insects typically hatch in warmer waters during mid day. The blue winged olive is a crawling nymph that ranges from dark brown to olive in color and is often likened with Baetis, a popular staple of the western trout’s diet.

Blue Winged Olive Cripple Life Stage

During its nymph life stage, the blue winged olive (Drunella), a stout crawling nymph, can be found in medium to fast riffles and pockets in the northeastern trout water of North America. These mayflies are most vulnerable just prior to emergence as they are caught in the moving water as they float to the surface to hatch. Blue Winged Olive emergers are often quite vulnerable to feeding trout when hung in the shuck or otherwise crippled, and are dark brown to olive in color. Blue winged olive emergers are most active during the afternoon hours, and the best hatches generally occur in warmer waters from early spring (May) to the late summer months (August and September).

About the Tyer: Paul Russell

Some anglers are so observant of their fly fishing environments, they become almost as instinctively connected to what's going on as the resident trout they pursue with flies of feather and fur. Paul Russell has guided clients on the Yampa River in Colorado for years, and he's well known for his keen observation skills; nothing on a trout river gets by Paul. In addition to becoming one of Colorado's most respected fly fishing guides, Russell has also become one of the best modern fly tyers in the western United States. He is a contract fly designer with Umpqua Feather Merchants and is most famous for his Pablo's Cripple pattern.

Leland on Umpqua

In 1972 a man named Dennis Black and his fly tying skills found themselves in high demand. Mr. Black, then a professional production fly tyer, was famous in the industry for his unsurpassed skill and speed with whipping up tremendously beautiful and precisely constructed flies. It wasn’t long until this young fly tying superstar realized that he ought to take his consistent approach to quality to the next level. Shortly after this realization, a small army of fly tyers had banded together to support Mr. Black’s vision. With the likes of Dave Whitlock, Jack Dennis, and Andy Puyans, Mr. Black was officially in business.

Dennis Black’s new company Umpqua Feather Merchants quickly extended its reach and fly production capabilities with expansion into India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, where the world’s first and full blown “fly tying factories” were built. Since those early days, only the highest standard of excellence has marked Umpqua and this commitment to quality and efficiency continues to spur the company forward. Dennis Black’s innovative vision for “fly production” has truly revolutionized how the fly industry operates and has ultimately made the majority of production flies better. From the first “royalty system” for rewarding the most creative professional fly tyers to streamlining production systems and offering a range of other products, Umpqua Feather Merchants just seems to “do it all.”

Today, Umpqua Feather Merchants is without a doubt the world’s best and most prolific supplier of hand tied fly fishing flies as well as fly tying hooks and materials, and they recently got better! Umpqua’s brand new, state of the art headquarters in Louisville, Colorado marks another paradigm shift in the way fly tying business is done. From its vast warehouse to its specially designed inventory management and tracking system, Umpqua is poised to continue its energetic trajectory and lead the way for the next generation of flies and fly tyers.

Umpqua on Umpqua

"As you may or may not know, we're the largest producer of quality hand-tied flies in the world. We also make available through your local fly shop a wide array of the finest fly-tying hackle and Tiemco hooks.

At Umpqua we offer everything the angler needs to a have a first class fishing experience. (Everything that is, but the water and the fish.)"

Umpqua on Dennis Black and the “Obvious Quest”

“The idea first took shape in the hands of our founder, Dennis Black, back in 1972. As a fast and facile professional fly tyer, Dennis was known for his skill and speed at producing hundreds of dozens of flies each year for the larger mail order houses. But he was also quick to realize how fast the demand for excellent flies would outstrip the abilities of cottage industry types like him.

The Obvious Quest: To create excellent flies in sufficient supply – without sinking his standards. In response, Dennis developed (with characteristic care) a methodical plan: First, he enlisted the tying expertise of the likes of Dave Whitlock, Jack Dennis, Andy Puyans and others, to help him set the standard of excellence for Umpqua flies.

Next, Dennis established the first of what would eventually be five separate fly-tying “factories,” first in India, then in Sri Lanka, and finally in Thailand. The primary focus at each of these factories was on producing the very best fishing flies possible, constructed of the very best materials available. From the beginning, the quantity of flies produced was secondary to the quality and excellence of each fly pattern. These high standards were assured by the personal involvement of the fly designers themselves, and by the ever-increasing skill, imagination and creativity of the Umpqua production fly tiers. Today, you will find no flies more skillfully tied than those available from Umpqua Feather Merchants.

Finally, Dennis created a system of royalty payments, to reward professional tyers like Whitlock, Lefty Kreh, Randall Kaufman, Larry Dahlberg, and Bob Popovics for uniquely good patterns.

The Result: Today, Umpqua produces umpteen thousand dozen flies, from micro-scopic midge imitations to the huge patterns favored by marlin and sailfish. And the "Umpquality" – you’ll see for yourself.”