Rainbow Warrior Dry

The Rainbow Warrior Dry is an attractor-style surface fly that suggests tiny emerging midges, small mayflies, or bright little bugs trapped in the film. It is less “exact Latin-name match” and more “small, shiny, helpless snack”—which, frankly, is a pretty good résumé in trout country.

Fish it when trout are sipping small bugs on top, especially during midge activity, light mayfly hatches, or those picky slow-water situations where fish are eating something tiny and refusing your bigger dries. Midges can be available year-round and often matter most when larger insects are absent, especially in slower water.

It is a good choice in spring creeks, tailwaters, slow seams, soft pool edges, slicks, and calm pockets behind structure. In those places, trout get plenty of time to inspect a fly, so a small, clean surface profile with a little flash can help it get noticed without looking like it showed up wearing a disco ball helmet.

Use a fine tippet, make accurate casts, and aim for a drag-free drift. Trout feeding on small dries and midges often rise subtly, so watch for soft dimples, noses, or little surface kisses instead of big splashy eats. Drag is the enemy here—if the fly skates unnaturally, trout usually file a complaint and move on.

A standard midge dry usually leans natural and understated, while the Rainbow Warrior Dry adds a brighter attractor edge. That extra flash can help in low light, broken reflections, or mixed bug activity when trout are feeding small but you still need your fly to stand out. It is a smart pick when you want finesse with just enough attitude.