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March Flies From the Vise

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1 hour ago, WWKimba said:

Ann's patterns - Day 2.

Herring Drake - A pattern Ann designed for Lake Whitefish - Corgonus clupeaformis - erroneously referred to as herring in Michigan.  It is designed for early morning/late evening during summer when the whitefish will come from the depths to feed on surface flies.  The upside-down hook configuration on this mayfly dry pattern was quite unique then and still is today (with apologies to Mr. Swisher and Mr. Richards!). 

HINT:  You'll use much less floatant if you remove the vise before fishing!

1570989468_HerringDrake-fished.thumb.jpg.c378a2de50b7a6b4b85bf35a608868cc.jpg

Hook - Mustad 94831, 6 - 10

Thread - yellow

Tail - 3-4 PT fibers

Body - natural deer hair, tied extended to half the tail length plus the butts tied up as a post

Rib - yellow tying thread

Hackle - grizzly or brown

 

I suspect that this pattern might imitate the Hexagenia Limbata also known as the "Giant Michigan Mayfly"

http://www.troutnut.com/common-name/9/Giant-Michigan-Mayflies

They are responsible for the massive hatches on the Mississippi River Between Minnesota and Wisconsin that show up on weather radar.

https://bringmethenews.com/life/thats-not-rain-radar-bugs

https://envirobites.org/2020/01/31/mayfly-swarms-are-visible-on-weather-radar-their-declines-spell-bad-news-for-ecosystem-health/

 

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Size 14 hook

dark shade rainbow scud dub articulated micro spines 8mm and 6mm

utc red ultra wire

copper bead head forgot size

natural grizzly saddle feather

 random biot feather for wing casing that looked good lol.

Getting ready for a fly tieing competition, please tell me what you think, honest opinions are always welcome

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_20220319_212415.jpg

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11 hours ago, flytire said:

did anne tie upside down?

I was getting bored so I tried tying the fly upside down, standing in a hammock!

 

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11 hours ago, flytire said:

i-spy.jpg

 

fly tying materials

Cheaper than the Dollar Store!

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9 hours ago, SilverCreek said:

 

I suspect that this pattern might imitate the Hexagenia Limbata also known as the "Giant Michigan Mayfly"

http://www.troutnut.com/common-name/9/Giant-Michigan-Mayflies

They are responsible for the massive hatches on the Mississippi River Between Minnesota and Wisconsin that show up on weather radar.

https://bringmethenews.com/life/thats-not-rain-radar-bugs

https://envirobites.org/2020/01/31/mayfly-swarms-are-visible-on-weather-radar-their-declines-spell-bad-news-for-ecosystem-health/

 

I could only find what the fly was designed originally to catch.  Being a Michigan-based fly design though, I wouldn't argue with the species of mayfly from the area it was designed for as well as the hook size. This is a Tom Deschaine researched fly and I am surprised that none of his writings referred to the species of mayfly that this pattern represented.

Kim 

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Here is the Hexagenia Limbata subimago dun. It is the largest mayfly in North America.

YZIRCZ7RHHHZ1LXZOLZZOLLZWLSRPLJLWLZZELYL6LKRWLXRNLRZNL0RHHPRRH0ROZ3L2LSZLHERRH5RLHIZVLPRSH.jpg.12c3c63982ae1c0ce9f457d568170fd3.jpg

Here is the imago spinner.

146336706_db8147b23a_o.jpg.a3e4be9dfa68a172b013ad5b769de336.jpg

These hatches can be dense as the above video shows. The duns wiggle as they get out of the nymphal husk and a regular pattern cannot imitate the contoursions and kinked and curved bodies.

Furthermore, The problem is that the naturals are so huge that "stiff" patterns are often pushed out of the way on strike. Unlike the natural which folds up, the stiff tail and body of traditional patterns do not and the fly just gets pushed out of the way unless it is a perfect take.

John Nebels "Flex Hex" solves the problem of flies that are true to size for the natural, being too large for the fish to eat because the flies are too stiff. The Flex Hex solves this problem by putting a mono to mono loop hinge in the middle of the pattern and even smaller fish can take in this pattern. It actually fold ups and offers less resistance than the natural.

The duns wiggle as they get out of the nymphal husk and a regular pattern cannot imitate the contoursions and kinked and curved bodies. the Flex Hex can because of the "hinge" that allows the pattern to bend.

Here is how I tie the pattern. It is both a dun and spinner pattern as I explain below so "two birds with one stone" type of fly.

35593315541_40b2d49782_z.jpg

35684738006_edf60c93a8_z.jpg

I’ve modified my version of the Flex Hex pattern to a parachute which produces a more realistic impression on the water and which can easily be changed into a spinner by cutting off the post.

The naturals have a mottled brown body with a yellow abdomen and the cross hatched brown thread on yellow mimics this.

Parachutes are best tied with one size longer hackle than the traditional hackled flies and getting hackle that is long enough for a flex hex is difficult. Modern genetic capes have longer feathers with denser hackle but the hackle length is shorter. I use my old Metz necks from the 1980s for the size 2 hackle that I use for this pattern.

Here is John Nebel's Original Flex Hex Pattern:

https://globalflyfisher.com/patterns/the-flex-hex

Write up on the pattern.

https://globalflyfisher.com/patterns/doing-the-limbata

 

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Silvercreek,

 I really like this post, your photography, and your pattern. For about 20 years, I religiously fished this hatch. Many great times and stories!  My favorite line, someone else said, was that those after dark strikes sound like a pig falling into the river. It sure taught you not to rely on sound to set the hook. Thanks for drawing up some great memories. 
Tom

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I have a particular river that I fish that has a hex hatch.

Because I fish a section of the river often during the day, I know the "lay of the land" as to where the bushes and tangles are, where the fish will go to escape, and where to stand to cast to a particular spot in the river. When you fish at night, it pays to have "scouted and fished" the area often during the day. First timers don't realize this and end up casting into snags.

Another tip is that during hex season, if you have an especially dark cloudy day, drive by the river to check it out. I have found hexs hatching during the day when it was a dark cloudy day.

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Ann's flies - Day 3.

Borcher's Drake - This fly was originated by Ann Schweigert and originally used condor quill fibers for the body.  Ausable river guide Ernie Borcher added grizzly hackle to the brown and the fly became the Borcher's Drake Special.

16935711_BorchersDrake.thumb.jpg.59bc1f60b70d9c0be7d551c020b3e195.jpg

Hook - Mustad 94840 or 94833, 8-18

Thread - black

Tail - 2-3 moose main fibers

Body - turkey quill fibers

Wings - light dun hackle tips

*Hackle - grizzly 

*Thanks Norm!

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B54E3FC7-9BED-4356-8082-1049FEB3516D.JPEG.03beb5ac8465365fe0abe45fb5735488.JPEG

Black Nose Dace 2.0

Hook: Mustad 3665A, #8

Thread: Uni-Thread 6/0, black

Tail: Flashabou, holo red

Body: Tinsel chenille, silver

Wing: FTD Water Mix, Black nose dace

Eyes: Prismatic 1/8", pearl black

Head: UV resin

***TRIGGER WARNING FOR  TRADIONALISTS*** A modern take on an old classic...

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BFB8B976-D21C-4BA3-BA16-6EE8123350AB.JPEG.a2b2ae82a48532ca6ffdbc107e355218.JPEG

Meteor Mullet:

Hook: O'Shaughnessy salt, 1/0

Thread: Uni-Thread 6/0, black

Tail: FDT Pearl web, hot white/Northern lights, silver-black/Northern lights, Black-hot radioactive

Collar: FDT BGD-Clyde dubbing, Hot white/Silver grey/Black

Eyes: FDT Croc Eyes 6mm, yellow/glow/black

Head: UV resin

Gills: Sharpie marker, red

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7 hours ago, Chasing_Tails said:

Black Nose Dace 2.0

***TRIGGER WARNING FOR  TRADIONALISTS*** A modern take on an old classic...

giphy-downsized.gif

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Ann's flies - Day4.

AuSable King - This caddis pattern from Ann Schweigert is a go to pattern for many "old timers".  It will catch fish BUT after a couple fish slime on it, it isn't much good.  In larger sizes use a Mustad 94833, on the smaller sizes use the Mustad 94840.  She first tied this pattern in the 1950's.

1737696290_AusableKing.thumb.jpg.794a0064a1bdd4063efdbef9e1d22ea3.jpg

Hook - Mustad 94840 or 94833, 10-16

Thread - black 

Tail - dark ginger hackle fibers

Body - peacock herl

Wings - grizzly hackle tips tied flat and split delta-style

Hackle - dark ginger

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