The best nymph in the history of fly fishing flies, ever.
Ok, so that title may be a little hyperbolic, but I do really love the Higa’s S.O.S. I must disclose here that Spencer Higa, creator of the S.O.S. and Head Guide at Falcon’s Ledge lodge in Utah, is one of my best friends and a long-time fishing buddy. We grew up in guiding together and for several years around a decade ago we spent essentially all of our free time fishing together. That, however, was before Spencer came up with the S.O.S. and back then we just had to make do with mere mortal flies.
Contrary to the assumed nautical reference, the S.O.S. stands for “save our skins” to the guides that have been using this little gem as our go-to nymph for several years now. It’s primarily an incredible little baetis imitator that excels on tailwaters and spring creeks. It works for several other small mayflies as well, and with its bright red wing case, it also works as a versatile attractor nymph. The S.O.S. is achieving great fame around the fly fishing world. It was picked up by Orvis and is available in their catalog and online. It has also been written up by Lance Egan at Fly Fisherman and shown in several tying tutorials. (I’ll include one below.)
I fish the S.O.S. as a dropper a lot but it also works well in European nymphing rigs and in standard nymph set ups under an indicator. When fished in tandem with other nymphs don’t be surprised to find most of the fish caught on the S.O.S. It’s just that good.
The primary color of the S.O.S. is black. Baetis nymphs turn dark as they prepare to hatch. I think this explains some of the S.O.S. magic. It can also be tied in olive, brown, and tan and I’ve had success on certain days with each of these colors.
It is usually tied with a silver or nickel tungsten bead but can also be tied with a black tungsten bead or with standard weight beads in these colors. My favorite sizes are 18 and 20, although I’ve fished it in every size from 24 to 10. The large sizes (10 and 12) are great in Czech/Polish rigs and work like magic on lakes under an indicator.
Recipe for Higa’s S.O.S. Fly
Hook: Orvis 1639 #16-20 or TMC 2487
Thread: Danville 6/0 Black
Bead: 25mm Silver or Nickel Tungsten
Rib: Silver Wire, Size Small
Shell: Red Floss
Abdomen: Black Rabbit Dubbing or Other Black Nymph Dubbing
Legs: Black Krystal Flash
Tail: Melanistic Pheasant Tail (or dyed black)
S.O.S. Nymph Video Tutorial by Grant Bench