Renegade Dry/Wet Fly

[Rabmax]

Hello Mataura mayfly. Yes just wrapped the front hackle then fibers pulled down while i tied the pheasant tail down .Also ribbed with mono & has a lead wire under-body.The body is peacock twisted with doubled over tying thread for strength.I tied a few up with fl pink & hot orange UV Ice Dub Hot-spots.Cheers

[Mataura mayfly]

Excellent.
Looks like it would double as both a nymph and shrimp pattern. Nice work. That might be one I have to "borrow" off of you.

[redietz]

I had given up fishing Renegades in the 80's because I couldn't figure what exactly they were supposed to represent, and I was pretty much of the imitative school at the time. Catching a fish on one was obviously dumb luck and a stupid fish. Never mind that they caught a lot of fish, and that the first 20" trout I ever hooked took one.

I stared fishing them again several ago and started asking a slightly different question than "what do the represent?": under what circumstances do they catch fish?

I've noticed that they seem especially good under for these uses:

1) As a midge cluster. They pretty work like a Griffith's Gnat, but more visible, and they give the fish a choice between a white cluster and a dark one.

2) When there are caddis on the water. With enough floatant they skate pretty well, and work as both a caddis emerger and an ovipositing caddis when fished wet.

3) As terrestrials. They're a reasonable imitation of both an ant and a beetle.

4) When there are olive spinners on the water. (I'm specifically talking about small baetids here, since olive means different things to different people.) I have no idea why this is true; the size 16 is way too big for the naturals and there is no resemblance in shape or color to the natural, but they work.

5) As a strike indicator.

Earlier this year, there yellow and lime sallies on the water in great numbers near sunset, at about the time I was expecting sulfur spinners. You would think than a parachute sulfur imitation would be significantly close to yellow sally of the same size that it would make an adequate substitute, but the trout wouldn't touch. They want something that's moving. A swung Renegade works, however. In effort to hone this idea even further, I tied up some that look like this:



Unfortunately, I haven't seen a stone fly of any sort since. I'm ready for next year, though.

(FWIW, for giggles I have fished a Renegade during a heavy sulfur hatch. Yes, the trout will take it in preference to a natural.)

The fly has one major limitation, at least for me, as I proved to myself once again this afternoon. I was able to every single trout that I saw rise (that I could cover) to take a Renegade -- 25-30 fish. Of those, I hooked 6 and landed 2. The stiff rear hackle works as a very effective weed/fish guard. Toward evening, I trimmed the rear hackle back to where the point of the hook was in front of it. It doesn't float quite as well, but I went 4 landed per six takes (and the ones I missed were too small to get the whole fly into their mouths.)

Keep the variations coming ...

[Rabmax]

That's great redietz. Good to get a report from someone that's been using them for a while.I haven't noticed a problem hooking with my wet versions.I do tend to hackle the wet ones more sparse though.I do tend to use longer hooks & the rear hackle usually is in front of the hook point.Good point about the rear hackle being a fish guard never really thought about that.I wonder if trimming a V shape on the underside would help with hooking.I have often done this with Griffiths Gnats before.What did you use for the body on that fly.( Is it floss).Anyway better get going.Off to the river again to swim some Renegades again.Cheers All

[redietz]

Yes, trimming a V-shape does help. Actually, just successfully catching a few fish seems to crush the hackle enough to get rid of the problem.

The color on that photo is off; the body is lime green floss.

[William Anderson]

What a great thread. Certainly something I have never considered. I'm speculating, but if the cock hackle is working as a nymph, I wouldn't change a single thing until I could determine why. Bob's insight is exceptional and the Sally is really cool. Fished as a nymph, I'm assuming more than 1'below surface, it may simply be a water agitation/vibration trigger. I read studies where blind trout in scientific trials could locate and take nymphs with precision. Could be related. But then again that's partially informed speculation. =)

[William Anderson]

What a great thread. Certainly something I have never considered. I'm speculating, but if the cock hackle is working as a nymph, I wouldn't change a single thing until I could determine why. Bob's insight is exceptional and the Sally is really cool. Fished as a nymph, I'm assuming more than 1'below surface, it may simply be a water agitation/vibration trigger. I read studies where blind trout in scientific trials could locate and take nymphs with precision. Could be related. But then again that's partially informed speculation. =)

[UC Steve]

Really like the fore & aft Yellow Sally. That looks like a getter. The Renegade used to be a very popular pattern in my region, & still works as good as ever. A #16 is killer on the lakes during spring midge hatches. I tie them with Whitings Hebert Miner hen hackle & they fish well both wet & dry.

Also very worthwhile as a low-water steelhead pattern, usually tied on a #6-#8 salmon/steelhead hook with gold tag & golden pheasant tippet tail, & that version can be skated, waked or fished deep. I have a friend who guided in South America for many years & he tells me that version is the ju-ju on sea-run browns down there.

[letumgo]

Steve - What color body would you recommend? Do you have a photo of one? I am compelled to tie and try the steelhead version. Thanks.

[UC Steve]

Steve - What color body would you recommend? Do you have a photo of one? I am compelled to tie and try the steelhead version. Thanks.

Ray, the steelhead version I've seen is tied like the little Renegade, add a golden pheasant tippet tail & wire wound over the body. I haven't used it for steelhead (don't know why not) but have heard that it is popular on some B.C. rivers, & possibly the forerunner of the Babine Special type. A friend, steelhead guide Jeff Cotrell (same guy who used it in SA), claims it is his favorite waking fly. Jeff dresses it with cock hackle so that it pushes & creates vibration. I'm currently out of white hackle, but want to tie some as well. Probably looks cool on a Billy Pate hook.