Chimera: Callibaetis and Damsel Flavor

Another face of the shape shifting fly

Chimera in a damsel or callibaetis color scheme

As I've written about before here and here, the Chimera pattern was designed to be an attractor pattern where you can whip up a few in different sizes and colors, using the same basic materials, and cover a lot of insects to imitate. This summer has been a good round of testing results for the damsel/callibaetis flavored version.

Obviously, the design isn't a slim-looking damsel body and it's a bit bigger than most callibaetis you'll see, but I'm a big fan of trigger points on flies and this one seems to have a few of them.

Brook trout taken on the Damsel Chimera

As with the other versions, I find this one fished best under and indicator on stillwaters. Once I find and set the depth with the indicator, I usually impart a small amount of action to the fly with a slow "mooching" motion. Sometimes a quick jerk and rest will also do well. And don't forget to throw this one on rivers. It can pass as a stonefly and makes for a great attractor pattern there too.

Regardless of where you fish and what you fish for, snag some materials in various colors (see list below) so you can mix and match the colors and sizes to fit your needs.