Devin Olsen's Diabaetis Perdigon (2 colors)

Note: the FM jigs these flies are tied on run about 1.5 sizes larger than labeled. Please factor that into your decision on which size to purchase in addition to the bead size.

One of the fun aspects of fly tying is experimenting with new materials as they become available. Given their importance in most of the streams I fish, baetis nymphs are one of the patterns I experiment the most with. With the proliferation of the perdigon style of nymphs over the last several years, perdigon specific tinsels have hit the market as well. Of course, I began trying these tinsels after we started selling them in our shop a few years back. During the winter and on lower light days, I have often done well with nymphs featuring blue or purple materials in their bodies. I used some perdigon tinsel to create a dark purple baetis nymph. I then tried some with and without a wire ribbing. The versions with the wire produced more fish so I stuck with them. My friend Connor Murphy and I had been joking about naming a fly the Diabaetis for a while. When this pattern came along, I knew I'd found the perfect vessel.