Creative fly tyer, Mike Mercer, is generally credited with creating the
“Poxyback” style of artificial fly. Mr. Mercer will tell you, however,
that “the Poxyback style came to me from the genius of others.” In
fact, Mercer has credited three other accomplished fly anglers and
tyers, Andy Burk, Rich Henry, and Hal Janssen, with providing the
inspiration to work with epoxy on nymphs.
Regardless
of who
gave the idea its first breath, the use of epoxy in nymphs and wet
flies has become quite popular among the world’s fly tyers in recent
years.
Mercer’s Poxyback PMD is a
fantastically shaggy imitation of the pale morning dun in its mature
nymph life stage. Mercer designed this fly with realism and movement in
mind; it’s got ragged marabou gills, and its cleverly epoxied wing pads
offer a striking underwater realism that feeding trout just can’t
ignore!
Specifications:
- This fly pattern was developed in the late 1980s by creative fly tyer Mike Mercer
- Part of Mike Mercer’s Poxyback series of fly patterns, inspired by ideas and tying techniques of Andy Burk, Hal Janssen, and Rich Henry
- Pale morning dun imitation in the mature nymph 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
- High stick nymphing techniques will also yield good results
- SIZE 18
When and Where to Fish Mercer’s Poxyback PMD
This
mayfly nymph 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 medium to fast water. When
fishing the pale morning dun hatch, try this pattern out just prior to
or during the hatch of adult duns.
How to Fish Mercer’s Poxyback PMD
Fish this fly on a dead
drift through faster riffles and tailouts, as these nymphs thrive in
well oxygenated water. You can also find success by employing a high
stick nymphing technique when fishing this fly pattern.
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.
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).
PMD Nymph 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. When preparing to hatch, however, PMD nymphs typically
spend some time swimming slowly within the water column, where they are
exposed as food to hungry trout.
About the Tyer: Mike Mercer
Mike Mercer is a
self-proclaimed “hopeless fly fishing junkie with an incurable
addiction to the vise.” Such honest and direct words are not surprising
from Mr. Mercer, a fly angler and tyer known for his innovative uses of
fly tying materials and creative fly designs. In fact, it wouldn’t be
off the mark to say his fly patterns actually reflect both his honesty
and directness.
Mercer has been fishing all his life, but
catching his first smallmouth bass on a fly rod blew open the
proverbial gates, sending him deep into the fly fishing world. With the
help of his grandfather’s old pickup truck, Mercer explored the
fantastic trout water of California’s rich wilderness areas. With his
youthful enthusiasm for traveling with a fly rod, he actually opened a
fly shop of his own. At Mike Mercer’s Rod and Fly (doubling as the
basement of his parents’ house) a fly fisher could find a selection of
custom fly rods, fly fishing and fly tying magazines, and Mike himself,
behind the vise, whipping up box loads of custom flies.
As a
fly fishing guide, writer, travel consultant, and creative fly tyer,
Mercer has been able to form a unique perspective on the sport and
share it with other fly anglers across the world. His fly designs have
appeared in magazine, in books, and with the help of Umpqua Feather
Merchants, anglers across the globe have been able to fish a Mike
Mercer creation hard and with great success in waters near and far.
Mercer’s
designs often hinge on an idea that “seems obvious” but from a design
perspective, these are often the very best kinds of ideas. Mercer
continues to create great flies and is a tremendous resource to the fly
fishing and fly tying community.
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.”
