Rainbow Warrior to the Rescue: How to Tie & Fish this Flashy Little Imitation

The Rainbow Warrior has rescued me from getting skunked on many days on the water. It’s one of those flies that I save for times when nothing else is working. Lance Egan is the originator of the pattern. According to Egan, he tied it as an experimental pattern and discovered it’s magic one day when no other nymphs were getting trout to eat.

I have had similar experiences fishing with the Rainbow Warrior. There are days when fish seem to key on this flashy, little imitation.

How to Tie the Rainbow Warrior

Use the Right Materials

The original pattern was tied on a curved or scud hook. Recently, I have been tying them on a jig style hook and have found them to be equally effective. I’m not sure the shape of the hook is as important as the size. I mostly tie these on size 16 or 18 hooks with either a 2.8 mm or 2.4 mm bead.

Typically, I don’t tell my readers to hyper focus on the exact materials. But to tie the Rainbow Warrior correctly, it’s important to use Wapsi Sow Scud Rainbow Dubbing and UTC Pearl Tinsel size Large. Hareline’s rainbow dubbing works okay for this pattern, but the Wapsi is finer and easier to work with. The size of the pearl tinsel is probably more important than the brand. Using a large tinsel will increase the durability of the fly because there is no ribbing. Veevus makes a pearl tinsel in a large size that will work great too. The original pattern calls for UTC 70 red thread, but I’ve also had success experimenting with different thread colors. The thread color influences the body color because the UTC Pearl Tinsel is translucent. I tie variations with an orange, purple, or black under body.

How to Fish the Rainbow Warrior

On the Tag

I imagine this pattern would work well tied as a heavier point fly. But, because I tie them in smaller sizes, I usually have them as my tag (or dropper) fly. A few seasons back, I discovered the magic of this pattern on a popular and heavily stocked Pennsylvania tail water. There were many days that spring when newly stocked trout abused my size 18 repeatedly. I almost always had it tied on the tag with a heavier fly at the point. Riding a little higher in the water column than my point fly, stocked trout consistently ate my shiny new discovery. It started to feel like cheating.

Even when I returned to that stream the following winter, I could still rely on a trusty rainbow warrior. The video below shows me catching a wiser (than the spring) stocked rainbow in the middle of December. It is truly a pattern that can be trusted all year round.

Not Just for Stockies

After my initial discovery of the rainbow warrior, I assumed it was a great pattern for stocked fish. I didn’t give it much consideration as an option for the picky wild browns that inhabit my favorite Central Pennsylvania streams. That was until a friend of mine asked me to tie a dozen of them for him. After a day on the water in Central Pennsylvania, he quickly asked me for another dozen because of how well the wild browns ate them. A few weeks later, I had the same success for wild browns on a limestone stream. The rainbow warrior quickly became a go to pattern. It’s one I often reserve for slow days when nothing else in my box seems to work.

As a Dropper off a Dry Fly

One of my favorite ways to fish a rainbow warrior is as part of a dry dropper rig. They pair perfectly as a dropper off any dry fly. I love using the dry dropper method during low conditions when I need to fish at a distance. The small rainbow warriors I tie do not interfere with the drift of the dry fly. I like to fish them just 12-18 inches below my dry, where trout take them as midge.

Thanks for reading! Spend more time on the water!

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Have a great day!

Jeff Smecker