Ray Charles
A scud/sowbug pattern that is absolutely essential on the Bighorn River. Named because you'd have to be blind not to catch fish on it, the Ray Charles imitates the freshwater crustaceans that dominate the diet of Bighorn River trout. The Ray Charles is a deceptively simple pattern that imitates the sowbugs (Asellus) and scuds (Gammarus and Hyalella) that thrive in the weed-rich tailwaters of Montana. These small freshwater crustaceans are a year-round food source and represent a disproportionate percentage of the trout diet on rivers like the Bighorn, where aquatic vegetation provides ideal habitat for crustacean populations. The Ray Charles' slim profile and subtle coloring match these naturals with just enough detail to fool even educated tailwater trout. On the Bighorn River, the Ray Charles is not just a good fly; it is arguably the single most important pattern in a Bighorn angler's box. The river's prolific weed beds support enormous populations of sowbugs and scuds, and trout feed on them constantly. A size #16 Ray Charles in pink or gray, dead-drifted near the bottom, catches fish with a consistency that borders on unfair. The pattern also produces on the Missouri River and other tailwaters where crustaceans are an important food source.
Pattern Details
- Type
- Nymph
- Seasons
- spring, summer, fall, winter
- Hook Sizes
- #14-18
- Hook Type
- Curved scud hook
- Tying Difficulty
- Beginner
- Imitates
- Sowbugs (Asellus aquaticus) and freshwater scuds (Gammarus and Hyalella)
Recipe & Materials
- Hook
- TMC 2457 or Dai-Riki 135, sizes 14-18Shop
- Bead
- Silver or copper tungsten, small
- Thread
- 8/0 gray or pink
- Tail
- None
- Body
- Sow-Scud dubbing, pink, gray, or tan
- Rib
- Fine silver wire
- Shellback
- Clear Scud Back or thin skin
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Technique & Presentation
Fish the Ray Charles on a dead drift near the bottom in slower currents and weed-bed areas. On the Bighorn River, this means targeting the inside seams of weed channels, the edges of gravel bars, and the slower runs between riffles. Use an indicator set to keep the fly within 6 inches of the bottom, as sowbugs and scuds are bottom-dwelling organisms and trout expect to find them there.
The Ray Charles is typically fished as a dropper behind a larger nymph in a two-fly rig. Pair it with a San Juan Worm, Pat's Rubber Legs, or a bead head Pheasant Tail, with the Ray Charles trailing 18-24 inches behind on 5X fluorocarbon. This combination covers multiple food sources and is the standard guide rig on the Bighorn River.
Color selection on the Ray Charles can be the difference between a good day and a great day. Pink is the most popular color on the Bighorn and works in most conditions. Gray is effective when sowbugs are the primary food source. Tan matches scuds in certain light conditions. Carry all three colors and let the fish tell you their preference.
History & Origin
The Ray Charles was developed specifically for the Bighorn River fishery, where sowbugs and scuds are the dominant food source for trout. The pattern's name, as the folklore goes, comes from the saying that 'you'd have to be Ray Charles not to catch fish on this fly,' a reference to the legendary blind musician. The implication is that the fly is so effective, anyone can catch fish with it.
The exact originator of the Ray Charles is not definitively documented, as the pattern emerged from the community of guides and tiers working the Bighorn River in the 1990s and 2000s. It represents a refinement of earlier scud and sowbug patterns, stripped down to the essential elements that trigger strikes. The pattern's popularity on the Bighorn has since spread to other tailwaters across Montana and the Mountain West.
Where to Fish This Fly
Bighorn River
Southeast Montana
Essential scud pattern
Frying Pan River
Roaring Fork Valley / Central Mountains
Imitates Mysis Shrimp flushed from Ruedi Dam, critical year-round
North Platte River
Central Wyoming
Essential scud pattern for the Miracle Mile
Green River
Southwest Wyoming
Scud pattern for year-round subsurface fishing
Bighorn River (Wyoming)
North Central Wyoming
Scud pattern; warm springs support strong scud populations
Crooked River
Central Oregon
Scud pattern; fish near dam where scuds concentrate. Size 14-16.
Rocky Ford Creek
Central Washington, Grant County
Scud pattern in pink/orange/olive, the #1 subsurface fly year-round. Size 14-18
Pyramid Lake
Western Nevada / Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation
Local favorite nymph pattern (Maholo Nymph variant)
South Fork Reservoir
Northern Nevada / Elko County
Ray Charles (midge pupa variant) under indicator
Wild Horse Reservoir
Northern Nevada / Elko County
Ray Charles midge pupa under indicator
San Juan River
Northwestern New Mexico / San Juan County
Ray Charles pattern for scuds and sow bugs, year-round subsurface
Colorado River at Lees Ferry
Northern Arizona / Coconino County
Ray Charles scud/midge pattern, deadly year-round near bottom
Spring Creek
Central Pennsylvania / Centre County
Scud/sowbug pattern year-round in weed beds
Spruce Creek
Central Pennsylvania / Huntingdon County
Scud/sowbug year-round
Yellow Breeches Creek
South Central Pennsylvania / Cumberland County
Scud pattern for subsurface
Big Spring Creek
South Central Pennsylvania / Cumberland County
Scud/sowbug year-round
Related Nymph Patterns
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Frank Sawyer's classic nymph pattern imitates a wide range of mayfly nymphs. The pheasant tail fibers create a realistic segmented body. Effective year-round in sizes #14-20, this pattern belongs in every Montana fly box. The Pheasant Tail Nymph is the most important subsurface fly in the history of fly fishing. Frank Sawyer's original design used nothing but pheasant tail fibers and copper wire, with no thread, no dubbing, no synthetics. The result was a slim, naturally segmented nymph that sinks quickly and perfectly imitates the profile of a swimming or drifting mayfly nymph. Modern variations have added a bead head for extra weight and flash, making an already deadly pattern even more effective. In Montana, the bead head Pheasant Tail is a year-round producer on every river in the state. It matches Baetis nymphs in fall and spring, PMD nymphs in summer, and various mayfly species throughout the seasons. Whether fished as a trailing nymph behind a dry fly, in a two-nymph Euro-style rig, or under an indicator, the Pheasant Tail consistently catches fish. Its slim profile sinks quickly and looks natural even to the most selective trout on the Missouri and Bighorn tailwaters.
Zebra Midge
A devastatingly simple midge pupa pattern. Thread body with a bead head, and that's it. The Zebra Midge is the most effective winter pattern on Montana tailwaters and produces year-round on the Missouri and Bighorn rivers. The genius of the Zebra Midge lies in its simplicity. A small bead head, a thread body wrapped in even turns to create segmentation, and perhaps a few fibers for a collar, and that is all there is to it. Yet this pattern imitates the midge pupae that comprise an enormous percentage of a trout's diet on tailwater rivers. Midges hatch every day of the year on rivers like the Missouri and Bighorn, and the Zebra Midge matches them with astonishing effectiveness. The pattern's versatility is remarkable. Fished under an indicator in the classic dead-drift presentation, it produces fish consistently. But the Zebra Midge is also deadly when fished in the surface film as a midge cluster or suspended just below the surface on a greased leader. On winter days when other patterns fail, a small Zebra Midge in #18-22 fished deep and slow can save what might otherwise be a fishless outing. It is the great equalizer, the fly that always works when nothing else does.
Prince Nymph
A classic attractor nymph with peacock herl body and white biots. The Prince Nymph doesn't imitate any specific insect but suggests many. It's a reliable searching pattern when drifted through riffles and runs on all Montana rivers. The Prince Nymph occupies a unique space in fly fishing; it is perhaps the most effective attractor nymph ever designed. The combination of a peacock herl body, white goose biot wing, and brown hackle creates a fly that doesn't precisely match any natural insect but somehow suggests dozens of them. Trout see the Prince Nymph and recognize it as food, plain and simple. The iridescent sheen of the peacock herl, the contrasting white wings, and the buggy profile all contribute to its universal appeal. In Montana, the Prince Nymph is a workhorse pattern that produces fish from the first runoff of spring through the cold days of late fall. It excels as a dropper behind large dry flies, as a searching nymph under an indicator, and as a point fly in a two-nymph rig. On the Madison, Gallatin, and Yellowstone rivers, the Prince Nymph consistently produces when conditions are changing, hatches are unclear, or fish seem unwilling to commit to specific imitations. It is the problem-solving nymph that every angler should carry.
Pat's Rubber Legs
A large, heavily weighted stonefly nymph pattern. Pat's Rubber Legs is the go-to point fly for nymph rigs on the Madison, Yellowstone, and Gallatin rivers. The rubber legs pulse with every micro-current, driving trout wild. Pat's Rubber Legs is the definition of a workhorse nymph. This large, heavily weighted stonefly imitation serves as both an effective fish catcher and the anchor fly in a multi-nymph rig. Its weight gets the entire rig down to the bottom quickly, while its rubber legs provide continuous movement that attracts trout from a distance. The variegated chenille body suggests the mottled coloring of natural stonefly nymphs, and the overall profile matches the large Pteronarcys and Hesperoperla nymphs that inhabit Montana's freestone rivers. On the Madison, Yellowstone, and Gallatin rivers, all premier stonefly streams, Pat's Rubber Legs is arguably the most important fly in a guide's box. It produces fish 12 months of the year, not just during the stonefly emergence. Stonefly nymphs are always present in the drift, dislodged by current, wading anglers, and their own movements. A large Pat's Rubber Legs drifted along the bottom is a convincing imitation that trout eat with confidence. Pair it with a smaller trailing nymph like a Pheasant Tail or Lightning Bug for a devastating two-fly rig.
San Juan Worm
Love it or hate it, the San Juan Worm catches fish. This simple chenille or micro-tubing pattern imitates aquatic worms that are a significant food source in tailwater rivers. Particularly effective on the Bighorn and Missouri after rain events. The San Juan Worm divides the fly fishing community like no other pattern. Purists dismiss it as barely qualifying as a fly, while pragmatists point to its undeniable effectiveness and the scientific reality that aquatic worms (Oligochaeta) constitute a meaningful portion of trout diets, particularly in tailwater environments. On the Bighorn River, stomach sampling studies have shown that aquatic worms can represent up to 20 percent of a trout's diet during certain times of year. Regardless of where you fall in the debate, the San Juan Worm deserves a place in your fly box if you fish Montana's tailwaters. After rain events, rising water dislodges worms from the substrate and puts them into the drift, creating a feeding opportunity that trout exploit enthusiastically. Even during stable conditions, a San Juan Worm fished deep and slow on the Bighorn or Missouri can produce fish when more traditional patterns are not producing. The pattern is especially effective for large trout that have learned to target high-calorie food items with minimal effort.
Lightning Bug
A flashy variation of the Pheasant Tail that uses tinsel and flash for added attraction. The Lightning Bug excels in slightly off-color water and as a dropper behind large dry flies. A Montana guide favorite. The Lightning Bug takes the Pheasant Tail Nymph concept, a slim, segmented mayfly imitation, and adds a generous dose of flash. The tinsel body and flashback wingcase catch light in ways that natural materials cannot, creating a beacon that attracts trout from greater distances. This makes the Lightning Bug particularly effective in off-color water, during overcast conditions, and in deeper runs where light penetration is limited. Montana guides keep Lightning Bugs in their boxes for those days when standard patterns are producing but not as well as expected. A switch from a standard Pheasant Tail to a Lightning Bug can turn an average day into a great one. The flash element seems to trigger a competitive or aggressive response in trout, prompting strikes from fish that might otherwise let a natural-colored nymph pass. On the Madison, Gallatin, and Yellowstone rivers, the Lightning Bug is a consistent producer from spring through fall.