The
fly tyers and designers at Blue Ribbon Flies call the Yellowstone their
back yard and fish its vast waters nearly every day of the year. They
decided to come up with a mayfly cripple pattern that could stand up to
the toughest currents and riffles in their favorite beats; it wasn’t a
surprise that Blue Ribbon’s Cripple was born.
Blue Ribbon’s Slate Drake (
Isonychia) Cripple is hand tied by the experts at Umpqua Feather Merchants to represent a Slate Drake (
Isonychia)
mayfly in its cripple life stage. The fly features a long, sturdy hook
shank with thick wraps of tough thread as well as a contrasting
trailing shuck. It’s topped with a collar of stiff hackle fibers and a
long, upright and forward wing. This fly rides high on the surface film
and is easy to spot in even the choppiest currents.
Specifications:
- This fly pattern was developed by Blue Ribbon Flies of Yellowstone, Montana for the perfect blend of durability and fishability
- Isonychia imitation in the cripple life stage
- Use as either an impressionistic searching fly or as a realistic imitation when matching the hatch
- Hatches occur from spring (March) to late fall (October)
- Fish on a dead drift in medium to fast water
- Just prior to a hatch, twitch this fly through slower water and shallow, protected areas
- When targeting fish during a prolific hatch, cast upstream and aim for specific rises
- Strikes are quick so be prepared to set the hook quickly
- SIZE 12
When and Where to Fish Blue Ribbon’s Cripple Slate Drake (Isonychia)
This
mayfly cripple can be fished as either an impressionistic fly pattern
when searching for trout or as a realistic imitation when matching the
hatch. When searching, fish this fly in all types of water throughout
the day – Isonychia are strong swimmers and can easily be found throughout the various types of water a trout angler will encounter. Isonychia
can easily be hung in the shuck, so don’t be afraid to twitch your fly
through fast currents and slack water or slower eddys. Faster riffles
and tailouts will also be productive water environments for fly anglers
presenting Isonychia cripples to feeding trout.
How to Fish Blue Ribbon’s Cripple Slate Drake (Isonychia)
These
aquatic insects are very strong swimmers and aggressive feeders, making
it quite possible to find them just about anywhere in a healthy river’s
ecosystem. Fish this cripple imitation on a dead drift through medium
or slow water or twitch it through moderately fast riffles. It is
important to note that Isonychia will often seek out slower water just prior to their emergence into winged adult duns. When fishing an Isonychia
hatch it’s a good idea to be on the lookout for trout feeding on
crippled emergers in slower water – if this activity is visible, focus
on these slower, more sheltered areas and target the feeding fish with
an upstream cast and a dead drift presentation directly over the
observed feeding lane. Gently moving the rod tip up and down can
imitate the short, jerky movements these cripples make while struggling
to complete their hatch. Because Isonychia
are some of the quickest insects in the water, watch out for
accordingly quick strikes from feeding fish; always be ready to lift
the rod tip and set the hook firmly and with confidence when fishing an
Isonychia cripple.
Isonychia
Isonychia
are lengthy, darkly colored mayflies commonly known throughout the
beautiful trout rivers of the northeastern United States as the
“Leadwing Coachman” or “Slate Drake.” The species is famous on trout
rivers in eastern North America for its prolific hatches in all types
of water. During the larval stage, Isonychia
thrive in the well-oxygenated water of medium to fast riffles and
current seams. As nymphs, these mayflies are the strongest swimmers
around, aided by their prominent front legs and three-pronged tails. Isonychia
follow the life stages of a typical mayfly life cycle. Hatches occur
from early on in the spring (March) and continue with regularity during
the summer months of June and July and carry through the end of the
fall (October). Adult Isonychia
are frequently imitated by the Hendrickson or Dark Hendrickson mayfly
dun fly patterns and the interchangeable nature of this nomenclature is
common throughout the northeastern United States.
Isonychia Cripple Life Stage
During
its nymph life stage, these sleek-bodied swimmers are quite literally
everywhere you look. Powered by their efficient front legs and thick
tails, Isonychia nymphs
travel freely throughout the many water types of a healthy aquatic
ecosystem. Because their swimming ability is quite notably developed,
these darkly colored nymphs will commonly expose themselves with their
active nature. For the bulk of their time in the larval stage, Isonychia
will thus be effectively fished in a wide variety of water types. Just
prior to hatching, however, these mayfly nymphs will seek out slower
and shallower water, taking advantage of these quiet and sheltered
environments to emerge to winged adults. Isonychia
can easily be hung in the shuck in these slower environments and are
extremely vulnerable to feeding trout when crippled. Slate Drakes are
important for anglers and trout throughout eastern North America and
nymphs, emergers, and cripples are available to trout through a long
period that begins early in the spring (March) and continues with good
regularity through late fall (October). Hatches can occur from morning
to dusk so it’s a good practice for fly anglers to keep a good stock of
these cripples at the ready.
About the Tyer: Blue Ribbon Flies
Blue
Ribbon Flies is located in West Yellowstone, Montana and specializes in
creating effective flies for a wide range of fly fishing destinations
and situations. They are particularly keyed in on designing flies for
the greater Yellowstone area and have become one of the leading fly
design firms in the world. Blue Ribbon is owned by, Craig Mathews, a
fly fishing guide and accomplished fly tyer. Many of Blue Ribbons
patterns can be purchased through Umpqua Feather Merchants thanks to
Mathews’ strong business acumen and recognition of Umpqua’s signature
quality and service. In addition to creating some of the best flies the
foam slots in your fly box have ever seen, Blue Ribbon is also famous
for its commitment to environmental conservation projects, especially
in the greater Yellowstone area.
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.”
