Newman's Micro Matcher - Umpqua Fly

“The inspiration for the Micro Matcher came after a tough day fishing on one of Colorado’s tailwaters. I had noticed a lot of Baetis in the water and couldn’t find the right size and profile I was looking for in my fly box. That’s when I decided I needed to create a bug for these scenarios. 

 I started with a size 22 dry fly hook, and drew inspiration from one of the first flies my dad gave me to use as a kid, the RS2. I liked the tailing fibers, and had noticed many of the mayflies and baetis nymphs I had been seeing had three tails. So I decided to add a 3rd fiber to the famous RS2 tail. After that I knew I wanted 3 distinct sets of legs, and finding the correct material was tougher than I would have imagined. I tried everything from single strands of super hair, to goose biots. Nothing was giving me the profile and shape I wanted. As I was sitting tying up some stones one night it hit me, why can’t I split these legs small enough to fit the size and profile I want. I did that, and I liked the result, but it wasn’t perfect yet. After some more trial and error I then stumbled across perfect little rubber legs that come in a dubbing package, and that was it. No more splitting big stonefly rubber legs, and the color and size was right. That Micro Matcher was born as a three tailed mayfly/baetis nymph with three sets of rubber legs for some added motion and appeal, combined with a great baetis profile. This fly has saved many days for my friends and I since its creation. I hope that it will do the same for anglers everywhere.”