Dry FliesCherry Picker
Dave Schmezer's attractor pattern uses bright red materials to create high-visibility offering that suggests various red-bodied insects and egg patterns. Bold coloration proves effective in off-color water or as searching pattern in freestone streams.
Spring, Summer, Fall
Intermediate
Trout
Feb 2026
Overview
Dave Schmezer's Cherry Picker uses bright red materials to create a high-visibility attractor pattern that also suggests various red-bodied insects and egg patterns. The pattern's bold coloration makes it effective in off-color water or as a searching pattern in freestone streams. Its construction balances visibility for the angler with an enticing profile that triggers aggressive strikes from opportunistic feeders.
Materials
Hook: Sprite Scud hook #12 (or equivalent)
Thread: Benecchi 12/0, black
Hackle: Cock, dyed black
Tag: Flash, fine, claret
Rib: Flash, fine, claret
Body: Argentinean hare, dark olive
Cheeks: Jungle cock nails, small
Behavior & Presentation
Natural Behavior: Red-bodied insects like ants and small beetles tumble onto the surface from overhanging vegetation, struggling with legs kicking to escape. Egg masses from spawning fish also drift as bright targets.
Where Trout Eat It: Opportunistic feeders patrol near-surface zones, especially along bank edges and grass edges where terrestrials fall.
How to Fish It: Dead drift through likely lies with the bold profile triggering curiosity strikes in off-color water.
Best Water: Target pocket water, bank edges, foam lines, and current breaks in freestone streams with broken water.
Strike Type: Aggressive strikes from opportunistic feeders responding to high-visibility profile and bold coloration.
Fishing Strategy
Rigging Suggestions: Fish on 9-12 foot leader with 3X-4X tippet. Heavier tippet matches aggressive nature of the pattern and handles strikes from opportunistic feeders.
Seasonal Timing: Most effective during runoff April through June when off-color water conditions favor high-visibility patterns, and again during spawning September through October. Water temperatures 45-60°F produce best results.
Pro Tips: Bright red materials maintain visibility in off-color conditions where natural patterns fail. The bold profile triggers curiosity strikes from aggressive feeders while suggesting egg patterns during spawning periods.
Entomology
During sparse hatches, isolated caddisflies drift on the surface between dense vegetation mats, their dark silhouettes standing out against the sky as they rest with wings tented over their bodies. Selective trout cruise slowly to inspect and sip individual adults that offer low-risk feeding opportunities.
- Order
- Trichoptera
- Common Name
- Caddisfly
- Organism Type
- insect
- Life Stage
- adult