Crooked River Magic
Originated by Russ Seaton
Contributed by Mark Williamson/Hank Hosfield

When Mark Williamson presented his Crooked River program to our chapter in February, he offered up a list of fly patterns one should carry, but he highlighted three somewhat unknown and rather unique patterns for special consideration.  He talked about each, and promised to send us the recipes for anyone who wanted to tie some up before heading out to the Crooked.  Mark delivered on his promise, and we will feature each in upcoming Fly of the Month articles.  Here is the first, the Crooked River Magic, a.k.a. CRM.  Mark attests it has lived up to its name on many outings.

 Materials:
Hook: TMC 200R
Thread: Rusty brown
Rib: Fine silver or gold wire
Body: Pheasant tail fibers dyed yellow or olive
Shuck: Blended rust, brown, and olive Antron. Tie the material in front of the body, but leave it long enough so it can run along the back of the fly and extend beyond the hook about the length of the shank. Wrap over it with the ribbing.
Wingcase: Closed cell foam in orange, tan, or white
Legs: Dark brown partridge
Thorax: Rusty brown Micro-Brite
 
Uses         This is a generic emerger pattern.

 Variations
Vary the size to imitate emerging mayfly species.
 
How to Fish
Russ Seaton says, "I like to fish this about 15 inches behind a Parachute Adams or blue-winged olive imitation. I grease the leader, dry fly, tippet material, and--oh so very lightly--the trailing shuck. I do not think that the color of the foam is as important to the fish as it may be to the fisherman. I like the orange because I can see it, but the other colors fish equally well. It has been very effective with few refusals."             (photo courtesy of Westfly)