Man, let me tell you about this little miracle worker called the RS2. One time on the Bighorn, I was getting completely skunked until I switched to a size 20 olive RS2 - bam! Three rainbows in ten minutes. That's when this fly really earned a permanent spot in my box.

So what makes this thing so deadly? Well, it's kinda like the Swiss Army knife of nymphs - simple but stupid effective. You can tie it on straight or curved hooks, though personally I prefer curved for that natural drift. Sizes 16 to 24 cover most situations, but trying to tie this on a 24? Good luck with that without going cross-eyed!

The body's just fine dubbing - gray, black, olive mostly - but here's the thing: I've found that olive version absolutely slays when there's just a hint of green in the water. You know, like after a little rain stirs up the algae. The ribbing? Sometimes I add wire, sometimes not - honestly can't tell if the fish care either way.

Now the tail - that's where the magic happens. Those microfibbets or hackle fibers give it that perfect mayfly split tail look. And the wing... man, this is cool. You can leave the Antron long for emergers (my go-to during a hatch) or trim it short for a straight nymph profile. Sorta like having two flies in one!

Oh, and the head? Just thread. No fancy stuff here. Though I always add a dab of cement because... well, let's just say I've learned the hard way what happens when you don't.
What's it imitate? Basically every mayfly your fish are eating. I swear I've seen real bugs on the Madison that look exactly like this - especially those little BWOs and pale morning duns. The slim profile just screams "eat me" to trout.

Best places to fish it? Anywhere with current really. I love it as a dropper under a dry, but it absolutely crushes when dead-drifted through riffles. If the fish aren't biting, try giving it the tiniest twitch - just enough to make that wing pulse. Works like a charm when they're being picky.

Honestly, half my fishing buddies call this their "desert island fly." And you know what? They're not wrong.