Pat’s Rubber Legs

Pat’s Rubber Legs is one of the most dependable nymphs in western trout fishing. It was created in the mid-1990s by Pat Bennett, a guide in Island Park, Idaho, as a modern version of the old Girdle Bug. It imitates a large stonefly nymph, but many guides fish it as an all-round attractor, because big trout find a large, leggy meal tumbling along the bottom hard to refuse.

Our version has a weighted body of variegated brown and tan chenille that gives a mottled, natural look, with long barred Flexi Floss legs, tails and antennae. The legs keep moving even on a dead drift, which is a big part of why the fly works so well.

How to fish it

• Deep runs and pools: dead-drift it close to the bottom, especially early in the season before trout feed on the surface.
• As the anchor fly: its weight makes it a good point fly in a two-nymph rig, with a smaller nymph such as a Pheasant Tail or Walt’s Worm trailing behind or above it.
• Stonefly water: deadly in rocky freestone rivers and tailwaters where stoneflies live, and during stonefly hatches.
• No surface activity: a good choice when nothing is rising, or when the bigger fish are holding deep.

Typical materials

• Hook: Long-shank nymph / streamer hook, sizes #6–#12
• Weight: Wire underbody
• Body: Variegated brown and tan chenille
• Legs, tails and antennae: Barred Flexi Floss

Hand-tied and quality-checked. Sold by the dozen; samples available on request.