Had a stellar day this week, fished some new water and was rewarded with a personal best 24" brown on my 4wt. Several other fish in the 18-21" range, better than I had ever hoped. Zebra midges and Gunslingers were the ticket.
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Great fish! You must've found the magic spot I'm still searching for haha.
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What is a gunslinger or rather what does it look like.
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Here is a picture of a gunslinger.
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Think flashback pheasant tail nymph with tungsten bead and black crystal flash legs.
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Thanks. I will tie up a couple. Is that best at this time of year? Or is a year-round kind of fly?
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[quote OldTroller]
Thanks. I will tie up a couple. Is that best at this time of year? Or is a year-round kind of fly?
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Actually, the answer would be "yes" to both of your questions. The Gunslinger is just one of many nymph patterns that imitates the small Baetis (or Blue-winged Olive) nymphs. Tailwater rivers like the middle/lower sections of both the Weber and Provo rivers are extremely fertile and jam-packed with Baetis populations. Spring and fall are the primary hatch periods for these mayflies, but other (smaller) subspecies of Baetis are present and may hatch anytime throughout the year. One of the earliest mayflies to appear (B. tricaudatus) is actually a larger fly in most waters and closer to a size 16 than 18 (16 is what I most often fish on the Provo River Mar-Apr). All Baetis species combined probably run through hook sizes 16-22. Good idea to carry a nymph supply to match (as well as dry's and emergers for when those noses start poking through the surface).
So, "Yes"... now (and again in fall) are probably the best times to fish small (~18) nymph patterns, but if you're a nympher that regularly fishes 2 or 3 fly rigs... at least one of those flies should be some type of Baetis imitation year round.
Gunslinger, BH Pheasant Tails, SOS, 2-bit Hookers, Killer Mayfly, and many others all work effectively for imitating small Baetis nymphs.
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Nicely done! Gunslinger is one of my go-to's [
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That was one hell of a response Joe Dizzy. Thanks for taking some time to educate us. Seriously, fantastic response!
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Awesome responses! Thanks everyone. I fish the pattern year round, one of my go-to flies.
Here is a recipe for the fly:
Gunslinger
Hook: “Scud” hook sizes 12-14-16
Bead: Black
Thread: 6/0, dark brown, Uni-Thread
Tail: Pheasant tail
Abdomen: Pheasant tail
Segmentation: Medium copper wire
Thorax: Spikey hare’s ear dubbing
Legs: Black Crystal Flash
Shell back: Natural, mottled ThinSkin
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