Embrace the Girdle bug
You might know this fly by a bunch of different names such as Pats, Pedro, turd, rubber leg but for the next month or so if you are fishing the Madison River you need to embrace the girdle bug.
The first rubber leg stone fly nymphs in this genre were tied with the rubber from a women’s’ girdle hence the name. From the first time rubber legs were added on a stone fly nymph the world changed and this style has been the go to. It is now tied in the rainbow of different color bodies and legs. If you can imagine it make it and fish it. During the high water I still like the black and white. It think it is harmony black and white working together on the same fly to accomplish total world fishiness.
The old school round rubber legs are mostly gone now in favor of non deteriorating silicone legs. They last longer in the sun, in the fly shop bin, and in the fly box before going bad.
Yes, there are more realistic stone fly patterns at least to the fisherman’s eye but the Girdle out produces them all. All those rubber legs provide tons of movement in the water. For even better luck put a little bend in the hook about a third of the way down from the eye. This will help keep it off the rocks and give it a more stone fly like profile.
For the next few weeks anyone fishing the Madison River needs to embrace and fall in love with this fly. Have them in multiple of colors and sizes. As a general rule the higher and more off colored water the darker and bigger the fly. So….. for the next week the large black ones will be the favorite. The salmon fly nymphs are making their migration to the banks in preparation for emerging and the fish are keyed on them. Salmon fly nymphs are around a size 4-6 so keep your offerings on the larger size. Once the river clears and the salmon fly madness is over start shifting your offering smaller and change colors. Once golden stones are around the tan or coffee colored turds rule the river. Even later in the summer and into fall the olive Pedro’s in sizes 10-14 are what you need.
It is time to fall in love all over again and this time with a simple fly. Call it what you will but you need to have him. Go ahead everyone is doing it.
