Bassano's Palmered Orange Tag
It is always dangerous when you mess with a great fly pattern such as the red tag! The palmered orange tag has as many differences as there are similarities. This pattern floats much better than the original red tag due to the palmer but remains very delicate. The palmer gives the fly obvious advantages but most importantly, it enables you to fish a very small fly in a fast current and still be able to see it, knowing that it is floating well. If you want to fish a small fly but have difficult seeing them, this is the fly for you. The orange tag replaces the normal red, giving the fly even more subtlety. The tying of this fly ensures that no matter how it lands, it look the same to the fish. I.e. unlike other flies, it doesn't matter how it sits on the water.
This is a polaroiding fly, and one that is best fished by itself. It is equally at home on lakes and rivers and is a fantastic searching fly, able to be fished blind and especially to difficult fish. Although you could do it, I don't recommend this fly as one to fish a nymph under. There is no particular lake or river in which this fly works best. It should be carried in various sizes and cast at any opportunistic fish. If anything, go smaller! Barbless.