In his marvelous book, “Fly
Fishing the Henry’s Fork,” Lawson identifies the Pale Morning Dun as,
“the crank that turns the wheel on the mayfly hatches of the Henry’s
Fork.” He also speaks to the importance of stocking a fly box with a
solid selection of proven Pale Morning Dun cripple imitations.
It’s
no surprise, then, that one of the most effective cripple mayfly
patterns developed in the modern era has its origins at Lawson’s fly
tying bench.
Lawson’s Cripple Dun – Pale Morning Dun is a
tremendously useful imitation of a crippled Pale Morning Dun mayfly
emerger, and trout prey voraciously on these bugs from Idaho to
Illinois and just about everywhere you can find a hatching mayfly. Toss
this clever fly pattern at those hungry trout during that next PMD
hatch – feeding trout can’t lay off ’em!
Specifications:
- One of the most effective modern mayfly cripple imitations developed for use on the Henry’s Fork by professional fly fishing guide, Mike Lawson
- Pale Morning Dun imitation in the emerger life stage
- Use as either an impressionistic searching fly or as a realistic imitation when matching the hatch
- Fish on a dead drift in medium to fast water; perfect for riffles, runs, and tailouts
- Fishing this fly on the swing during a prolific pale morning dun hatch can also yield excellent results
- Giving the fly a few twitches during the drift can simulate the struggle of an emergent insect and attract opportunistic trout
- SIZE 18
When and Where to Fish Lawson’s Cripple Dun – Pale Morning Dun
This
mayfly cripple emerger can be fished as either and impressionistic fly
pattern when searching for trout or as a realistic imitation when
matching the hatch. When searching, fish this fly in medium to fast
water. When matching the hatch, look for signs of hatching pale morning
duns in deeper riffles, runs, and pools. Tie this neat little bug at
the end of your leader when pale morning duns are about to break the
surface film and hatch into winged adults. This fly is most effective
smack in the middle of a hatch of pale morning duns. This bug will
yield the best results in areas where struggling pale morning duns are
visible at or just below the surface film.
How to Fish Lawson’s Cripple Dun – Pale Morning Dun
This
pale morning dun cripple emerger imitation is wickedly effective when
fished on a dead drift. Adding a few twitches of your rod tip during
the otherwise dead drift can increase this fly’s effectiveness, as it
will simulate the struggling a crippled or “hung in the shuck” mayfly
can go through during a failed emergence. You can also try this fly out
on the swing just prior to or smack in the middle of a pale morning dun
hatch. It’s most effective in the medium to fast, well-oxygenated water
of riffles, runs, and tailouts. Feeding trout will key in on a
well-presented cripple’s slight movements, realizing their prey is in
trouble and a relatively easy target.
The Pale Morning Dun
The
Pale Morning Dun (Ephemerella inermis or infrequens), commonly referred
to as a “PMD,” is a mayfly that enjoys wide distribution throughout
North America’s trout waters, although it is particularly prolific in
the rivers of the American West and Northeast. In its nymph life stage,
the pale morning dun is easily identified by its large front legs,
torpedo shaped body, and three tails of roughly matching length. As a
winged adult, or “dun,” the PMD is identified by its clear, upright
wings, three long tails, and pale yellow colorations. The pale morning
dun follows the life stages of a typical mayfly life cycle and
generally hatches from early spring (May) to late summer (August).
Pale Morning Dun Cripple Life Stage
During
its nymph life stage, these crawlers are commonly found inching along
rocky and debris-littered river bottoms. These nymphs thrive in
moderate to fast water. Look for them in medium to fast moving riffles,
tailouts, and runs. PMD nymphs aren’t usually vulnerable until just
before they hatch into adult duns due to their reclusive habits and the
shelter of their rocky environment, making their emerger life stage
critically important to both fly angler and feeding trout. During this
important life stage, many of these emergers will become “hung in the
shuck” and subsequently crippled, unable to complete their
metamorphosis to winged adult duns. Thus, it is important to imitate a
crippled emerger as trout will often key in on only these helpless
morsels, rather than expend energy chasing more active healthy emergers.
About the Tyer: Mike Lawson
For
four generations, Mike Lawson’s family has called the dramatic country
of Southern Idaho home. With the picturesque and legendary Henry’s Fork
quite literally running through his back yard, it’s no surprise that
Mike Lawson has become the world’s leading expert on plying these
waters with a fly, in search of big, beautiful, and healthy trout.
Lawson
has made a wonderful career for himself as a professional fly
fisherman. His life’s work has taken him beyond his home water to New
Zealand, Patagonia, Alaska, and other far-flung destinations. At home,
Mike has worked hard to develop effective techniques and fly patterns
for Southern Idaho’s beautiful stretches of fly water. He has also been
extremely active in conservation efforts throughout the western United
States. His writing is lucid, his love of fly fishing enormous in
scope, and his contributions to the sport are deep. Mike has been
guiding as a professional since the 1970s and he has been a
professional fly designer with Umpqua Feather Merchants for nearly as
long.
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.”
