Dark Pink Straggle String

Dark Pink Semperfli Straggle String Micro Chenille Spool

Pink catches trout on tailwaters for one reason: scuds turn pink and orange when they die or molt, and fish key on them below every dam. Dark Pink is the richer, more natural of the pinks. It reads as a real crustacean in clear water and still shows up in off-color flows. Use it for full scud and shrimp bodies, or as a single-wrap collar to put a hot spot on any nymph.

Recipe 1: Straggle Pink Squirrel

• Hook: Partridge 2X-heavy scud or jig hook, size 12 to 16
• Bead: Gold tungsten, 3 to 3.5 mm
• Thread: Semperfli Nano Silk, tan or black
• Tail: Fox squirrel guard hairs, short
• Rib: Fine gold wire
• Body: Fox squirrel dubbing, spiky
• Collar: Dark Pink Straggle String

Tying: Slip on the bead and tie in a short squirrel tail. Tie in the wire, dub a tapered, buggy body, and rib it with 4 to 5 turns. Finish with 2 to 3 wraps of Dark Pink Straggle String tight behind the bead, then brush the body to pull out guard hairs.

How to fish it: This Driftless classic catches trout everywhere. Fish it as the point fly on a two-nymph rig through riffles and runs, or under an indicator on tailwaters. The pink collar is the trigger, so it shines in slightly stained water after a rain or a flow bump. It also takes big bluegill on a slow strip.

Recipe 2: Dark Pink Czech Shrimp

• Hook: Partridge Curved grub or Czech nymph hook, size 10 to 16
• Weight: Lead-free wire, 8 to 10 turns
• Thread: Semperfli Nano Silk, pink or tan
• Body: Dark Pink Straggle String, with 1 strand of Fl. Pink wound alongside for the two-tone version
• Shellback: Clear Scud Back, 1/8 inch
• Rib: 4X mono

Tying: Wrap the weight and cover it with thread. At the bend, tie in the mono and the Scud Back. Wind Dark Pink Straggle String forward to the eye in tight touching turns. Pull the shellback over, rib through it with mono, and whip finish. Trim the fibers flat on top and leave the underside long for legs.

How to fish it: Fish it deep and slow. On the Missouri below Holter, the Bighorn, and any scud-rich tailwater, run it under an indicator a foot off bottom with 5X fluorocarbon. Best timing is a day or two after a flow change, when scuds get knocked loose. Euro nymphers can fish it as the heavy anchor fly.