If there is a single fly that gave me the most success when fishing the tailwaters of the Arkansas River, it would be the legendary RS2 fly. The RS2 has been my go-to fly when fishing the Arkansas River for numerous reasons. This fly can mimic several aquatic insects that are native to the Arkansas River.
The RS2 fly was developed in the early 1970s by an American angler named Rim Chung, which whom I happened to cross paths with when I was fishing the Arkansas river several years ago. He was fishing his favorite pool and I was literally standing fifteen feet to his right doing my own thing- not catching anything. Rim, on the other hand, is hauling fish every four minutes or so. He finally noticed that I come up empty-handed every drift. “Use tiny flies,” he told me, and he handed me a size 22 RS2. I did not recognize him at first, but when I got a glimpse of his face, I knew it was the famous Rim Chung. We talked a little bit and I introduced myself to him. He left shortly after our short conversation. I took over his spot, changed my fly, and just like that, I was reeling in beautiful rainbows every few casts. I will never forget that encounter with Rim Chung.
If you plan to fly fish in the waters of Colorado, don’t forget to grab a bunch of RS2s. They are readily available in most fly shops. It is a good idea to learn how to tie them too. They are easy to tie and only require a few fly-tying materials. I usually tie mine the traditional way but some of the modern variations are good as well. Please check out the videos below for tying instructions.
Rim Chung’s traditional tying technique (short version):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js1fwpZ0LVQ
Charlie’s Fly Box RS2:
