There are times when a certain fly or lure really makes a difference. These lures are most important when you are not catching many fish. Finding the killer fly or lure at the right moment is a surprise and perhaps an act from God!
I was guiding some clients above Raynold’s Pass bridge, on the Madison River. Back in the 1980’s the fishery was superb, but some days were harder than others. My clients were having some fair action as I looked upstream to a party of anglers that were having a field day. 
Ross Marigold, a West Yellowstone guide was netting fish like crazy! After they were worn out and quit for the day, I moved my party into the popular honey hole. We netted a couple fish but nothing like the clinic that the other group put on. Finally, my crew took a break, and I grabbed a rod to see what was going on.
I managed to find a few trout and finally netted one that had a fly in its mouth. It was an unusual pattern that I did not recognize. I tied the small nymph on and the bite was back on. Since I only had this one fly, I shared it with my clients. Their tippet was a bit heavier so it would not break it off. There were no cell phones for a picture back in those days. Thankfully, we never lost that fly. This single secret fly caught well over 30 trout that I knew of.
That night, I tied a few dozen and added my own special touches. The original fly is still in a box in my tying kit. It became my go to fly for years to come. Later I met Ross Marigold, by his favorite rock, just above the bridge. We started chatting and I told him my story. When I showed him the fly, he was shocked! “I never share that fly with anyone!” He even cut the fly off his client’s rigs at the end of the day. They were not yet on sale in any of the shops. He called it the Serendipity! 
Later that summer, I noticed that the Serendipity nymph was now in several of the local shops fly bins. They came in tan, brown and peacock herl.
The secret was out!
Montana Grant
Join Montana Grant at his Facebook Group called Montana Fishing For Fun!
