TYING RAINBOW WARRIOR
Lance Egan invented the Rainbow Warrior. Lance had no plans for the fly, and he did not know what kind of success it would become. On the first day, he caught a huge number of trout. Now, the fly is one of the go-to patterns for Lance in any waters and any conditions. It could be worth tying up a few for your fly box.
Materials for Rainbow Warrior
| Part: | Materials: | Size/Color: |
| Hook: | Akita | AK788BL #12 |
| Bead: | Brass Bead | Silver 3.2 mm |
| Weight: | Lead Wire | 0.010” |
| Thread: | Textreme | Fluo Pink 6/0 |
| Tail: | Teal Flank | Natural |
| Body: | Mylar Tinsel | Pearl Medium |
| Rib: | Ultra Wire | Silver SM |
| Wingcase: | Mylar Tinsel | Pearl Medium |
| Thorax: | Scud Dub | Light Shade Rainbow |
Video Instructions on How to Tie a Rainbow Warrior
Video coming soon.Slideshow on How To Tie a Rainbow Warrior
Step 1 – Tie In the Tail and Build Up the Body
The first step is to add the bead and the lead wire to the hook. Squeeze the lead wire against the bead to fix it in position. Tie in your fly tying thread, secure the lead wire with a few wraps, and make even turns quite far down the hook’s bend. Tie in a few fibers of Teal Flank. The length should be approximately half of the hook shank. (Lance Egan uses Pheasant Tail fibers.)
Tie in the silver wire for the rib and the Mylar Pearl Tinsel for the body. Build up a tapered underbody with your tying thread. Leave a space a bit larger than the bead for the nymph’s thorax. Make even wraps with the Mylar Tinsel to create the body. Continue ribbing the nymph with the silver wire.
Step 2 – Make the Thorax and Wingcase
Tie in one strain of Mylar Tinsel pointing towards the fly’s body for the wingcase. Make a dubbing noodle and build up the thorax. Fold the Mylar Tinsel over the thorax and tie it off close to the bead. Build up a hot spot or strike point with the pink tying thread. Complete the fly with a whip finish or a few half-hitches and some varnish.
How to Fish the Rainbow Warrior
Fish the Rainbow Warrior nymph as you would have fished any other nymph pattern. Use it when searching for fish or present it dead drift to fish you have found. The fly can also be used as a dropper in a tandem rig or hanging from a dry fly like the Klinkhamer.
