Kleis's Fly Of The Week - Barr's Trico Vis-A-Dun

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Barr's Trico Vis-A-Dun has been my go-to pattern anywhere there has been a Trico hatch since it came out.  Barr's pattern does a great job at imitating the dun stage of the Trico as it's name suggests, but will also catch fish all the way through the spinner fall.  I can't tell you how many days I've spent on the water fishing this hatch and never had to change flies.


Fish size 22 when you see Trico's starting to hatch around the end of July on the South Platte River, and on the Arkansas River below Pueblo Reservoir.  As it gets later in the year and the weather starts to get cooler down size to a size 24 Vis-A-Dun.  This is important for a couple of reasons.  First, if you fish in the same places I do then you know that there is a ton of fishing pressure and these educated fish start to snub larger offerings.  Second, the bugs actually start to get smaller in size as we get closer to October.  It's not unheard of for anglers to throw size 26 Trico imitations towards the end of the year.


One of the common mistakes I hear anglers make is that they assume because it is late September or even October that the bugs they are seeing are Blue Wing Olives.  Always remember guys and gals that Trico's hatch until we get that first real freeze in the high country.  If the freeze doesn't happen until two days before Halloween and you're fishing in the morning and seeing a cloud of insects overhead then the odds are pretty good you are witnessing a Trico hatch.  And because there are still midges and Blue Wings capable of hatching you could be smack dab in the middle of a multiple hatch.


The beauty of the Vis-A-Dun is that it can easily be mistaken for a midge.  A trick I learned from working with old timers in the shop that I truly believe has helped me fool more fish is to clip the tail to give your fly a smaller profile.  For instance, you know beyond the shadow of a doubt that the Trico hatch is done for the day but you still see fish coming up to midges.  Turn your Trico pattern into a midge by clipping the tail.

Photo of an epic Trico hatch in 11 Mile Canyon August 30, 2012

There is still plenty of time in the year to schedule a guided trip and have a chance to fish this insane hatch in beautiful 11 Mile Canyon on the South Platte River!  Just shoot me an email at jonkleisflyfishing@yahoo.com to check out my rates and availability!