Anglers who fish dry flies in fast water have always had a habit of
throwing up their hands and asking this simple question: "Can't someone
just tie a dry fly that won't sink?!" Though no one has yet cracked the
code and designed the truly unsinkable dry fly, a man named Art Scheck
has come very close.
Scheck's Spundun is
Isonychia
- Hendrickson is tied like most traditional dry flies; it's got a long
tail, a neatly tapered body, and a stiff upright wing. However, the
Spundun's wing isn't tied traditionally with a few wraps of stiff dry
fly hackle, rather it's solidly constructed with a shock of stiff and
hollow deer hair that is trimmed on the underside of the fly. This type
of wing is more commonly found on caddis and stonefly imitations, but
it works very well on mayflies that must be fished in faster or rougher
currents. Next time you're wondering how to keep your
Isonychia or Hendrickson dun up top, look no further than the Spundun.
Specifications:
- A fantastic dry fly pattern developed by fly tyer and writer, Art Scheck
- The pattern's design incorporates spun and trimmed deer hair to aid floatation in rough water
- Isonychia imitation in the adult 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 14
When and Where to Fish Scheck's Spundun Isonychia - Hendrickson
This
mayfly adult 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. The well
oxygenated stretches of faster riffles and tailouts will also be
productive water environments for fly anglers presenting Isonychia adults to feeding trout.
How to Fish Scheck's Spundun Isonychia - Hendrickson
As
nymphs and emergers, 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 adult 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. When trout are zeroed in on hatched adults, be
sure to drift the fly through areas where heavy feeding traffic is
visible. Set the hook confidently as trout will tend to snatch these
bugs from the surface with relative quickness.
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 Adult Dun 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 the time, 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. 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 adults at the ready.
About the Tyer: Art Scheck
Art
Scheck is an accomplished author, fly fishing knot guru, fly tyer, and
businessman. He is well known for his work at publications like
Scientific Anglers Fly Fishing Quarterly, Orvis News, American Angler,
Fly Tyer, and Saltwater Fly Fishing magazines. He has spent hours upon
hours thinking about, writing about, and talking about fly fishing. He
has spent many more on the water. His vast chest of experience has
informed his articles and fly patterns and has served the fly fishing
community quite well over the years. He's a contracted tyer with Umpqua
Feather Merchants and is famous for his Spundun line of mayfly
imitations, a group of "unsinkable" mayflies tied with spun and trimmed
deer hair to aid floatation in rough water. He calls the fly
fishing-rich state of South Carolina home.
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.”
