Dry FliesGo To Hell Variant
The Go To Hell Variant is a classic attractor dry fly pattern that combines striking visibility with effective fish-catching design. This eye-catching pattern features a bright green thread body, white calf hair tail and wing, and a mixed brown and grizzly hackle collar. The flashy Mirage Tinsel tag and peacock Ice Dub thorax add subtle attraction, while the UV-cured resin over the body provides durability and a slight sheen that mimics natural insects.
Spring, Summer
Intermediate
Trout
Dec 2025
Overview
This Charlie Craven pattern from Charlie's Fly Box showcases a variant of the classic Go To Hell attractor pattern. The distinctive green body and white calf hair wing make this fly highly visible to both angler and fish. The use of UV-curing resin over the thread body adds durability and creates a slight translucency that enhances the pattern's appeal. The mixed brown and grizzly hackle provides excellent floatation while creating a mottled appearance that suggests life.
Materials
Hook: Tiemco 100SP-BL, #14
Thread: Veevus 14/0, white and green
Tail: Calf Body Hair, white
Wing: Calf Body Hair, white
Tag: Mirage Tinsel
Body: Veevus 14/0 Thread, green
Glue: Solarez Bone Dry Plus
Thorax: Ice Dub, peacock black
Hackle: Rooster Cape (or Saddle), brown and grizzly
Behavior & Presentation
Natural Behavior: Ants tumble from vegetation during daytime thermals, landing with audible plops and struggling with legs spread wide. Their segmented bodies create star-like disturbances on glassy surfaces as they attempt escape.
Where Trout Eat It: Fish target high-floating attractors in South Platte River broken water and pocket water where visibility and profile matter more than precise imitation. Effective in turbulent currents where trout make quick feeding decisions.
How to Fish It: Fish aggressively through fast water with drag-free drifts, relying on the super-floaty characteristics from heavy hackle and white calf hair wing. Can be used as a strike indicator with weighted nymphs on a dry-dropper rig for deep pocket water.
Best Water: Fast pocket water, riffle crests, and turbulent runs where the white wing and green body create high visibility, targeting churning water behind boulders and channel margins.
Strike Type: Fish rise confidently to terrestrials—watch for nose-pokes or gentle sips on the low profile.
Fishing Strategy
Rigging Suggestions: Fish on a 9-foot leader tapering to 4X-5X tippet. The buoyant hackle and calf hair wing provide excellent floatation for dry-dropper fishing with weighted nymphs.
Seasonal Timing: and summer when mayfly activity is high. The attractor qualities make it a good searching pattern throughout the season.
Pro Tips: The green body stands out against most water conditions.
Entomology
Green Drake mayflies emerge during evening hours in late spring, representing the largest mayfly species in many western rivers with wingspans exceeding 25mm. These robust insects require extended surface time for wing drying, drifting dozens of feet while pumping hemolymph into expanding wings. Their exceptional size makes them calorie-bonanzas that trigger aggressive competition among trout, with fish sometimes abandoning established feeding lanes to secure these premium prey items.
- Order
- Ephemeroptera
- Family
- Ephemeridae
- Common Name
- Green Drake
- Organism Type
- insect
- Life Stage
- adult