EmergerintermediateRocky Mountain West
Barr's Emerger (BWO)
$3.95
Available Sizes#16 - #22
Color Variations
BWO OlivePMD Pale YellowGray
John Barr has a gift for creating flies that solve specific problems, and the Barr Emerger solves the problem of trout eating Baetis emergers two inches below the surface while you are fishing a dry fly on top. The trailing shuck says 'still hatching,' the CDC wing says 'almost there,' and the tungsten bead says 'I will be in the strike zone, not floating uselessly above it.' It fishes in the liminal space between the underwater world and the surface, which is exactly where selective trout focus their attention during a BWO hatch.
Quick Facts
TypeEmerger
Difficultyintermediate
SeasonsSpring, Fall, Winter
Target SpeciesRainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
Sizes#16 - #22
Best LocationsSouth Platte River, CO; Frying Pan River, CO; Missouri River, MT
Where to Fish It
South Platte River
CO · Tailwater
Frying Pan River
CO · Tailwater
Missouri River
MT · Tailwater
Map unavailable. Locations for Barr's Emerger (BWO): South Platte River, CO; Frying Pan River, CO; Missouri River, MT
Related Reading
seasonal playbook
The Spring Playbook: First Hatches to Full Send
Spring is the most dynamic season in fly fishing — water temperatures swing daily, hatches emerge in waves, and fish that have been dormant for months begin feeding with increasing urgency. This is your region-by-region playbook for fishing the awakening.
hatch guide
The Complete Guide to Mayfly Hatches
Mayflies are the foundation of trout-stream entomology. This guide covers every major hatch — BWOs, PMDs, Green Drakes, Sulphurs, Tricos, and Hendricksons — with the biology, timing, and fly selections you need to fish them effectively across the country.
hatch guide
Emerger Patterns: Fishing the In-Between
Trout eat more insects during emergence than at any other stage. Emerger patterns — flies that imitate the critical moment when a nymph transforms into an adult in the surface film — are the most consistently effective dry flies in fly fishing. Here is the science and the technique behind fishing the in-between.
technique
Nymph or Dry? The Decision That Changes Everything
Ninety percent of a trout's diet is consumed subsurface. Yet ninety percent of the magazine covers show a dry fly floating on calm water. The decision between nymphing and dry-fly fishing isn't about preference — it's about reading the situation and making the choice that puts your fly where the fish are actually feeding.
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