The Rude Trude – Story of a Lousy Trout Fly

Update: The “Rudie Can’t Fail” photo contest details and rules are now posted! Read about the Rude Trude below, then click here to learn how you could win glory and prizes just by catching a fish on a Rude Trude (perhaps easier said than done), taking a picture, and submitting it in our contest.

Ever fished the Rude Trude? I didn’t think so. Ever heard of the Rude Trude? Not yet, but you’ll be hearing all about it very soon. In fact, you’re likely to be seeing anglers all over the Yellowstone River fishing the Rude Trude in the coming weeks! You might soon even see its signature bright (and I do mean bright) pink parachute post floating down the Paradise Valley spring creeks. Intrigued? Read on!

Let’s be honest, the Rude Trude is not a good trout fly. In fact, it really sucks! The proportions are all out of whack. It’s a dry fly, but it very much desires to be a nymph; soak it in FlyAgra all you want, but about 10 casts later it’s sinking toward the stream bed. On the royal version (it was tied in 2 variations, lime and royal), what should be deep red is really a dirty pink. And that post! It’s so blazingly pink that every self-respecting fish will high-tail out of there the moment the fly lands nearby. But in its ineptitude lies its great charm!

I don’t know the full history of the Rude Trude, but here’s what little I do know. The fly in question was tied in Bhutan sometime in the relatively recent past for the venerable Dan Bailey’s. As you probably know, Bailey’s has been in business here in Livingston, Montana since the 1930’s and their catalog has brightened the day of many an angler over the decades. Folks used to watch through the window as the “Bailey’s women” tied up batch after batch of classic western trout flies. Through their long history, Bailey’s flies have probably caught more trout on the Yellowstone River than any other fly manufacturer’s. But even the great ones are allowed a few duds; the Rude Trude is definitely one of those. I don’t know if the “Rudie” (as I’ve come to call it) ever graced the pages of the Bailey’s catalog. I kind of hope that they realized their mistake and remaindered it immediately (see the next paragraph), before it had the chance to scare the snot out of any Rocky Mountain trout. It certainly makes for a better story.

Here at Sweetwater Fly Shop, we currently have literally thousands of “brand new” Rude Trudes, in both lime and royal. How did we happen to obtain such a treasure trove? Well, that’s a long story, and a bit embarrassing to yours truly, so I’ll just stay mum on that one. Suffice it to say, you too could soon be the owner of a dozen (or two) of this pink-posted wonder. All you need to do to get your own set of Rudies in one or both variations is walk into Sweetwater Fly Shop and ask. That’s right, there’s no cost to you, and there are no catches to this deal of the century. And believe me, you’ll undoubtedly want to take advantage of this offer when you hear what we have in store in the upcoming 6 weeks or so. I’m going to leave the details a cliffhanger for at least a few hours, but get your competitive juices flowing. There’s going to be a prize!

All that said, can the Rude Trude catch trout? Of course it can! On certain days, you could catch the pea-brained critters with a cigarette butt. Below you’ll find visual proof (don’t worry, it’s short and sweet) of the Rudie’s fish-catching prowess. Always remember, “Rudie can’t fail!” Stay tuned for the upcoming excitement!