nymph
Rainbow Warrior
- Sizes
- #16–#22
- Imitates
- midge pupae · mayfly nymphs · attractor
- Origin
- Lance Egan
Lance Egan's Rainbow Warrior is a flashy midge/mayfly crossover pattern with a pearl Mylar body, red thread collar, and sow-scud dubbing thorax. It attracts attention and triggers strikes from trout feeding on a wide range of subsurface food in tailwater and spring creek environments.
Recipe
This is one dressing. Tie it in other colors to match the hatch in front of you.
Workbench
Variants
Swipe to see In box and Add
| Size | Bead | Body | In box | Add to box |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #16 | 2–2.5mm · tungsten · Tungsten | Pearl/Red | — | — |
| #18 | 2–2.5mm · tungsten · Tungsten | Pearl/Red | — | — |
| #20 | 2–2.5mm · tungsten · Tungsten | Pearl/Red | — | — |
| #22 | 2–2.5mm · tungsten · Tungsten | Pearl/Red | — | — |
At the vise
Tying notes are not on file for this pattern.
Tying video
Fishing now on
Rivers whose hatch chart names this pattern this month. Names and sizes only.
Not named on this month's hatch charts.
On the water
A competition staple. Fish it as a dropper in a Euro rig or under an indicator on tailwaters. The flash body is visible even in turbid water.
History
The Rainbow Warrior was Lance Egan's first commercially available pattern and remains one of the all-time best-selling competition nymphs. Despite a flashy pearl body and a red-thread hot-spot collar that imitates nothing in particular, it consistently fools selective tailwater trout and eager pocket-water fish alike. Lance's philosophy with the Warrior is simple: don't worry about *why* fish eat it — just be glad they do. In sow-bug, scud, midge-pupa, midge-larva, and chironomid water, it performs like a multi-tool attractor.