Ever seen the surface of a favorite slack water pool explode? If you
answered, "No," then you've never witnessed a newly hatched adult
Hexagenia devoured on the surface by a giant trout.
When
the sun begins to fade and the biggest boys and girls in the eddy are
keyed in on Big Yellow Mayflies the size of helicopters hovering in the
surface film, there's no better fly to have at the end of your tippet
than Nealley's Adult
Hexagenia. This extremely effective fly is designed to imitate a
Hexagenia
mayfly in its adult life stage. It's a pattern that makes great use of a long tail
of stiff fibers, a buoyant body, and buggy rubber legs. It's also
highly visible so you'll never miss a strike. Toss one of these near
the muddy bank of your favorite trout-infested lake and see what comes
up!
Specifications:
- An effective fly pattern tied by Umpqua Feather Merchants contracted tyer, Alan Nealley
- This large mayfly dun pattern makes use of a stiff tail section, a buoyant body, and wiggly rubber legs for a buggy appearance
- Hexagenia imitation in the adult life stage
- Use as a realistic adult imitation when matching the hatch
- Swim and drift the fly through slow water; lakes, backwater, and eddys are the most productive water types for this fly
- Best results are obtained just prior to or at dusk when Hexagenia are most actively hatching to adults
- Hexagenia can be an important hatch because of their sheer size; strikes are often aggressive
- SIZE 6
When and Where to Fish Nealley's Adult Hexagenia
This
large mayfly adult is fished as a realistic imitation when matching the
hatch. Be prepared to fish this fly in slow backwaters and eddys just
before dusk or a bit earlier on cloudy days – this is the time when Hexagenia nymphs and emergers leave the quiet protection of their burrows to hatch into adult duns. When fishing dun portion of the Hexagenia
hatch, it’s important to note that these bugs will spend a relatively
long time wiggling in the surface film before they flit away to the
safety of nearby vegetation. Look for slower pockets of water and areas
that may provide good cover for big fish venturing into calm territory.
How to Fish Nealley's Adult Hexagenia
Fish
this fly in very slow water; backwaters and eddys are prime real estate
for these large mayflies. Generally, the slower the water and the
muddier the bottom, the more packed with Hexagenia the environment will be, making lakes environments classic “Hex water.” When feeding trout are keyed in on adult Hexagenia, fish the water just above and below these prime burrowing environments as Hex
emergers will not travel very far from their burrows to hatch. When
fishing this fly pattern in a lake or river environment, don’t be
afraid to “twitch” the fly during the presentation by gently moving the
rod tip up and down or feeding line back and forward through the guides
with your stripping hand. Adult Hexagenia
will often spend a considerable amount of time sitting on the surface
film during the hatch – moving your rod tip up and down in short, quick
strokes can simulate the twitchy activity of a newly hatched insect
quite well. When Hexagenia
make themselves available as adult duns, trout prey on them hungrily
and voraciously, so don’t be surprised when you feel an aggressive take
– set the hook with confidence!
Hexagenia
Hexagenia,
brown to light yellow in color, are giant mayflies that occur in North
American trout water from the Midwest to the Northeast. In the West,
these large insects are only locally distributed through in thin
populations in the Pacific states of California, Oregon, and
Washington. During the larval stage, Hexagenia create shelter by digging burrows in soft, muddy substrate in slow moving water of rivers and lakes. Hexagenia
follows the life stages of a typical mayfly life cycle and hatches in
the Western United States from spring (May) to late summer (August). Hexagenia
in the eastern states are often referred to as the “Great Leadwinged
Drake” and are most active in the Midwestern to the Northeastern United
States from June to September. Western species of Hexagenia are often called the “Big Yellow May.”
Hexagenia Adult Life Stage
During
their emerger life stage, these insects leave the safety of their muddy
burrows and begin their relatively slow hatch to winged adult duns. In
river systems, these giant nymphs call low energy backwaters and eddys
home and as emergers, they don’t venture too far away from their larval
environments. “Hex” nymphs
require the muddy substrate of these environments to create their
protective burrows, so look for emergent, crippled and adult insects in
these areas. As newly hatched winged adults, Hexagenia
mayflies get off to a slow start, often pausing for a few moments on
the water's surface prior to flying away to nearby vegetation to seek
suitable mates. These bugs will remain in these hidden patches of
brushy cover for up to two days before returning to the river to mate.
During the mating process, males will create large mating swarms into
which females will fly to be fertilized. The fertilized females will
deposit their eggs on the water's surface and then fall into the drift
as spinners along with the spent males. Feeding trout will key in on
both hatched adults and spinners, so be prepared to fish either portion
of the hatch.
Leland on Umpqua
In
1972 a man named Dennis Black and his fly tying skills found themselves
in high demand. Mr. Black, then a professional production fly tyer, was
famous in the industry for his unsurpassed skill and speed with
whipping up tremendously beautiful and precisely constructed flies. It
wasn’t long until this young fly tying superstar realized that he ought
to take his consistent approach to quality to the next level. Shortly
after this realization, a small army of fly tyers had banded together
to support Mr. Black’s vision. With the likes of Dave Whitlock, Jack
Dennis, and Andy Puyans, Mr. Black was officially in business.
Dennis
Black’s new company Umpqua Feather Merchants quickly extended its reach
and fly production capabilities with expansion into India, Sri Lanka,
and Thailand, where the world’s first and full blown “fly tying
factories” were built. Since those early days, only the highest
standard of excellence has marked Umpqua and this commitment to quality
and efficiency continues to spur the company forward. Dennis Black’s
innovative vision for “fly production” has truly revolutionized how the
fly industry operates and has ultimately made the majority of
production flies better. From the first “royalty system” for rewarding
the most creative professional fly tyers to streamlining production
systems and offering a range of other products, Umpqua Feather
Merchants just seems to “do it all.”
Today, Umpqua Feather
Merchants is without a doubt the world’s best and most prolific
supplier of hand tied fly fishing flies as well as fly tying hooks and
materials, and they recently got better! Umpqua’s brand new, state of
the art headquarters in Louisville, Colorado marks another paradigm
shift in the way fly tying business is done. From its vast warehouse to
its specially designed inventory management and tracking system, Umpqua
is poised to continue its energetic trajectory and lead the way for the
next generation of flies and fly tyers.
Umpqua on Umpqua
"As
you may or may not know, we're the largest producer of quality
hand-tied flies in the world. We also make available through your local
fly shop a wide array of the finest fly-tying hackle and Tiemco hooks.
At
Umpqua we offer everything the angler needs to a have a first class
fishing experience. (Everything that is, but the water and the fish.)"
Umpqua on Dennis Black and the “Obvious Quest”
“The
idea first took shape in the hands of our founder, Dennis Black, back
in 1972. As a fast and facile professional fly tyer, Dennis was known
for his skill and speed at producing hundreds of dozens of flies each
year for the larger mail order houses. But he was also quick to realize
how fast the demand for excellent flies would outstrip the abilities of
cottage industry types like him.
The Obvious Quest: To create
excellent flies in sufficient supply – without sinking his standards.
In response, Dennis developed (with characteristic care) a methodical
plan: First, he enlisted the tying expertise of the likes of Dave
Whitlock, Jack Dennis, Andy Puyans and others, to help him set the
standard of excellence for Umpqua flies.
Next, Dennis
established the first of what would eventually be five separate
fly-tying “factories,” first in India, then in Sri Lanka, and finally
in Thailand. The primary focus at each of these factories was on
producing the very best fishing flies possible, constructed of the very
best materials available. From the beginning, the quantity of flies
produced was secondary to the quality and excellence of each fly
pattern. These high standards were assured by the personal involvement
of the fly designers themselves, and by the ever-increasing skill,
imagination and creativity of the Umpqua production fly tiers. Today,
you will find no flies more skillfully tied than those available from
Umpqua Feather Merchants.
Finally, Dennis created a system of
royalty payments, to reward professional tyers like Whitlock, Lefty
Kreh, Randall Kaufman, Larry Dahlberg, and Bob Popovics for uniquely
good patterns.
The Result: Today, Umpqua produces umpteen
thousand dozen flies, from micro-scopic midge imitations to the huge
patterns favored by marlin and sailfish. And the "Umpquality" – you’ll
see for yourself.”
