Midge / EmergersShot Glass Trico
A sleek, impressionistic trico spinner featuring a signature glass bead, UV resin wingcase, and a sparse, low-profile silhouette, this fly is ideal for fooling selective trout during technical morning trico hatches.
Summer, Fall
Intermediate
Trout
Apr 2025
Overview
A variation in Shea Gunkel's versatile Shotglass series, the Shotglass Trico adapts the proven slim-bodied, tungsten-bead profile to imitate emerging Tricos. It uses a black or dark brown thread base, fine synthetic tails (like microfibbets), and a prominent glass or tungsten bead up front for weight and flash. The pattern stays consistent—just swap thread and bead colors to match different hatches. It's fast to tie, durable, and effective during Trico spinner falls when fish key in on smaller emergers.
Materials
Hook: Umpqua JB01 or Daiichi 1140 #16-20
Bead: X-Small Silver Lined Glass Bead
Thread: Black 8/0 or 12/0
Tail: 2 Strands White Sparkle Organza, Split
Abdomen: Thread
Rib: X-Small Silver Wire
Legs: 1 Strand MFC Midge Body Thread, Black Doubled Over
Wingcase: Medium Black Holographic Tinsel
UV Resin: Loon Thin UV Resin
Behavior & Presentation
Natural Behavior: Spent trico spinners lie flat with outstretched wings after mating flights, accumulating in dense carpets that concentrate in foam lines. These tiny mayflies create rhythmic, predictable feeding opportunities as they drift helplessly in the film.
Where Trout Eat It: Smooth glides, tail-outs, and slow pools in 1-3 feet where trout sip methodically.
How to Fish It: Dead drift with zero drag through feeding lanes, focusing on delicate upstream presentations.
Best Water: Work foam lines, eddies, and slicks where spent spinners accumulate in concentrated drifts.
Strike Type: Watch for subtle sips or surface dimples as trout take spinners confidently.
Fishing Strategy
Rigging Suggestions: Use 6X or 7X tippet with 12-15 foot leaders. Fish solo for the most natural presentation, or add 12-18 inches below a larger parachute dry for visibility when tracking becomes difficult.
Seasonal Timing: Prime time from July through October, with August and September offering the most consistent trico spinner falls. Some waters see activity as early as June in warmer climates.
Pro Tips: The glass bead and resin create subtle shimmer that imitates the spent spinner's translucent body. Position yourself downstream of feeding fish to avoid detection during the approach.
Entomology
Trico spinners fall spent onto the water surface after mating flights, lying flat with wings outstretched in the surface film, creating dense carpets of dead and dying insects during peak spinner falls. These tiny mayflies (size 20-24) accumulate in back eddies, foam lines, and slack water where trout sip them methodically in steady, rhythmic feeding patterns. The sheer abundance of spinners during morning falls triggers highly selective feeding where fish refuse anything that doesn't match the exact size, profile, and posture of the natural.
- Order
- Ephemeroptera
- Family
- Leptohyphidae
- Common Name
- Trico
- Organism Type
- insect
- Life Stage
- spinner