If one is doing a video series on CDC they must mention Rene Harrop. For US anglers and professional fly tyers Rene is probably the most important and an early adopter of CDC. He makes a big shift to CDC in perhaps 1989 and the early 90s. He becomes a founding partner in Trout Hunter which is a premium supplier of CDC.
His Last Chance Cripple is based of of Bob Quigley's Cripple. The tying of a true Rene Harrop Last Chance Cripple has a ton of videos online and many of them are by world class tyers so if you are interested in that just search for them.
I have adapted this fly to what I personally feel are essential elements and added an element to help me see the fly.
I chose this pattern for two reasons - highlight/honor Rene and his impact on patterns with CDC AND because I wanted to talk about how trout (especially older bigger fish) really prefer a "sure meal" that requires minimal effort. In the insect world on rivers - sure meals - include dead bugs and trapped in the film bugs for whatever reason. The "perfect dun" can fly away at any second...so if there are other options present, trout often go for those first. This is where patterns that imitate hatching challenges become so successful. This pattern is one of those designs. We will look at the critical elements (in my opinion) of that design and then tie it.
Enjoy!
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