Intro

Upon first seeing the Micro Matcher, I was skeptical. “What the hell is this even supposed to be?”, I thought. It looks almost like a stonefly nymph, but the size is too small. As it turns out, this pattern is a perfect imitation of a class of bugs that sometimes fly under the radar amongst anglers: clinger (or crawler) mayfly nymphs.

It’s easy to focus on the adult mayflies and the emergers, but clinger mayfly nymphs are a huge food source for trout. Unlike the later stages of the mayfly life cycle, there does not have to be a major hatch popping off for fish to key in on these leggy little insects.

Trout feed on mayfly nymphs opportunistically, snatching them up as the bugs become dislodged from their rocky refuges. This happens either unintentionally, via increased flows or inclement weather events; or intentionally, via a dispersal drift, during which the insects let go of their old underwater homes in search of a new habitat.

This is where the Micro Matcher earns its paycheck. But don’t take my word for it. Check out what the pattern’s creator, Walter Newman, had to say about this fly:

Applications

CATEGORY: Nymph - Mayfly

TARGET SPECIES: Trout

As mentioned in the intro, the Micro Matcher shines as a mayfly clinger nymph imitation. Clingers and crawlers are known to live in riffles and runs. To help get their flies down into the feeding lanes of this water type, many mayfly clinger imitations are tied with heavy tungsten beads. While the beads do help the bugs sink faster, real mayfly nymphs do not weigh nearly as much as the fly patterns do. The naturals twist and tumble through the water as they float downstream. Comparatively, a fly with a lot of weight will sink to the bottom without the same action; a major red flag for selective trout.

The Micro Matcher, however, is not heavily weighted. This pattern can be fished off a tag 10”-18” above a heavy anchor fly like a Tungsten Gummy Crane or Roza’s Red Tag Jig. Attach the fly to your tag via a Non-Slip Loop Knot and the pattern will drift even more naturally. They key is having a fly with a lot of weight to sink your rig to the bottom, allowing the Micro Matcher to drift cleanly through the water column - right through the heart of the strike zone.

About the Tyer

Walter Newman, Umpqua Feather Merchants

Scott "Walter" Newman was born and raised in Colorado. He grew up loving life on the water. He first started tying flies at the age of 10, using sewing thread and clumps of dog hair from his shedding Collie, he created his first “fly”. The fly tying really got serious around the age of 20 while living on the western slopes of Colorado. After holding his created flies close to his chest for many years, only sharing them with his closest fishing friends, he decided that he wanted to share as many flies as possible with the world. His first pattern came from a sleepless night, laying in bed trying to figure out a great freestone fly, but one that could also catch fish in the sometimes tricky tail waters of Colorado. The idea came and the first draft of the Micro Matcher was tied at 5 AM that morning. Walter has now moved back to the Denver area where he pursues athletic training and tests his flies on any river every chance he gets. If you ever see him on the water don’t be afraid to ask what flies he’s using. He will not only tell you, but probably give you some flies to try out.

(via UmpquaFeatherMerchants.com)

Material List - Micro Matcher (Purple)

• HOOK: Tiemco 101 (#18 - #22)

• THREAD: UTC 70 (Purple)

• TAIL: Microfibbets (Light Blue Dun)

• RIB: Ultra Wire (XS; Silver)

• WING CASE: Thin Skin

• THORAX: Superfine Dubbing (Gray)

• LEGS: Senyo's Shaggy Dub

• FINISH: Loon UV Thin + Black Sharpie