Inspiration for Primrose and Pearl?

[John W Kelly]

Does anyone know what the inspirational larva is for the very popular and effective P&P?  I've fished Taney many times over the past several years, and pay close attention to the bugs, but this is the closest to a P&P larva that I've come across.  There were hundreds of dead ones scattered around on a large rock up closer to the dam, but this one still looked alive and still undergoing metamorphosis:

[fishinwrench]

I don't think it was inspired by anything other than boredom at the vise.   It is an attractor pattern and it WORKS.   That's pretty much all that matters.  

[Phil Lilley]

Didn't the Parker's introduce it to Taney?

[Gavin]

It doesn't have to look like anything for a Rainbow to take a wack at it. They love small flashy stuf

[John W Kelly]

You cant just make any ol' fly and expect the trout to gobble it up wherever you're fishing. The two most successful midges that I use on Taney just happen to be ones that I created from direct observation.  That isn't a coincidence.  One of them doesn't even catch fish at Bennett.  I would bet that the P&P is based on larvae that someone (the Parkers?) found and tried to mimic. Maybe not though....

 

Here's the finished bug product. It looks sort of "rusty" perhaps?:

 

[Flysmallie]

You cant just make any ol' fly and expect the trout to gobble it up wherever you're fishing.

 

Uhhhh....yes you can and yes they will. Seen it happen too many times for it to be a fluke. Sure something that resembles part of their diet is surely going to produce better results.

[laker67]

I tied a lime green blob once to imitate power bait, but it did not work.

[Lancer09]

You cant just make any ol' fly and expect the trout to gobble it up wherever you're fishing. 

 

I think you absolutely can!

Sure fish are different in different fisheries but look at something like a red copper john. some sort of general nymph profile but the thing is red, I've never seen a red nymph, same with purple and blue nymphs that people do catch fish on, or a purple haze dry.

You just have to get the fish to think that it MAY be food and to come take a taste. 

[John W Kelly]

 

Uhhhh....yes you can and yes they will. Seen it happen too many times for it to be a fluke. Sure something that resembles part of their diet is surely going to produce better results.

Ok, maybe the one small ignorant, starving, or curious trout will. I've caught one or two trout on an American flag inspired midge, but the P&P consistently produces 'better' results. So I'll re-phrase my original question: 

Has anyone seen a living midge that the P&P resembles??

[Phil Lilley]

Did you take these pics, John?  Very nice!  Rusty is exactly what I thought when I saw the midge.

It would be an awesome project to photograph as many midge flies as possible here on Taney... both pupas and adults.  I'd have to take picture taking courses and probably get a new camera lens.