Tie this one on in the spring to imitate a stonefly, and again in the fall when trout are used to seeing October caddis. Developed on the McKenzie and the Willamette, Michael T’s Percolator is good on the upper tributaries, as well. It’s a searching pattern, an attractor.

Dressed with floatant, it is a good “point fly” for hanging a small beadhead nymph or a smaller wet or dry fly off the bend in the “dry and dropper” style. When running two Percolators on the same leader or a Percolator and an Elk Hair Caddis, use a right angle dropper and vary the size and shade to give the fish options. If the current pulls the flies under, continue the drift, because bigger trout are more confident when they don’t have to come to the surface.

Tie the Percolator with orange thread on a No. 4-12 Daiichi 1270 or equivalent. For the tail, use moose hair. Wrap the body with peacock herl and copper wire and a palmered brown saddle hackle. Make the wing with moose hair and finish the collar with a grizzly saddle hackle over orange thread.