As the title states, this fly was Ernest Hemingway's favorite trout fly and he was the one who started the legend of this simple little fly. He took this fly everywhere he fished if he was fishing for trout species.
So what does this pattern imitate? No one really knows, but most will say it resembles a cluster of midges. Ok, why not? All I know is this fly works very well and is sometimes the game changer when all other flies are not working. Also, Alaska Grayling have a taste for this fly as well as I have read in a few reports.
Some would think a Coachman or Elk Hair Caddis would work as well as the Renegade, and maybe so, but when these two other flies fail, desperate times calls for desperate measures. Fish the Renegade.
I have fished this fly in creeks and larger rivers and it has always performed well for me. Why I don't always carry this fly with me is something I should ask myself more often. Better yet, just keep them in my box, no question asked.
So lets tie this fly. And believe me, I will mess up these instructions somewhere because this is the first time I have done a tutorial online. So please be patient with me.
Step 1.
These are the materials you'll need.
Cream or white dry fly hackle
Brown dry fly hackle
Peacock herl
Gold tinsel
Black 8/0 thread
Hook of your choosing
Step 2.
I'm using a Partridge SUD hook size 12. Wax the thread and start about an eye length behind the eye and wrap back half way.
Step 3.
Tie in the gold tinsel and wrap back just beyond the bend of the hook. I personally like the gold hologram tinsel for that extra sparkle.
Step 4.
Wrap the tinsel up along the bend of the hook and tie it off. Then wrap the thread up to the starting point behind the eye. This will keep the tag tied in tight.
Step 5.
Now bring the thread back to where you tied in the tinsel and this is where we tie in the brown hackle. So place the stem of the hackle to the near side and tie it in. Give about 4 to 6 turns of hackle depending on the length of the hook shank. I generally do 5 turns.
Step 6.
Now we tie in two or three strands of peacock herl. Clip the ends off the herl and place them on top of the shank and tie back towards the brown hackle. Glue down the herl and then wrap the herl back up the shank to make the body. Then we tie in the white or cream hackle. This is where I messed up.
Step 7.
After the white hackle is tied in make the head of the fly and give 3 or 4 whip finishes and finish it off by adding head cement.
That's it. Simple little fly that should always be in your box.
