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 Green Drake Emerger
is a fantastically shaggy and buoyant imitation of the western Green
Drake in its emerger life stage. Mercer designed this fly with realism,
structure, and movement in mind; it’s got ragged but subtle marabou
gill tufts, cleverly epoxied wing pads to offer a striking underwater
realism that feeding trout just can’t ignore, and its stiff hackles give the pattern the
structure it needs to produce!
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
- Western Green Drake imitation in the emerger life stage
- Forward sets of stiff hackle fibers give this emerger imitation the ability to ride along the surface film just like a real hatching insect
- Fish as a realistic imitation when matching the hatch
- Fish on a dead drift in slower water as emerging western Green Drakes favor medium to slow currents for emergence
- Look for sheltered areas with lots of subsurface vegetation or rocky structure and fish with an upstream presentation, mending line for a dragless dead drift
- Best results just prior to and during a hatch
- Emergers hatch from early morning through mid-afternoon hours
- When targeting fish during a prolific hatch, aim for specific rises
- SIZE 12
When and Where to Fish Mercer’s Poxyback Green Drake Emerger
This
mayfly emerger is fished as a realistic imitation when matching the
hatch. Fish this fly in medium to slow water from early morning to
mid-afternoon – this is the time when Green Drakes are most active. On
western rivers, these strong crawlers use their rather clumsy swimming
skills to reach the surface to hatch into adult duns, often needing
several tries before they make it from the rocky river bottom to the
surface film. Look for emergent western Green Drakes moving from medium
to fast riffles, current seams, intersections between sheltered cut
banks and faster water to areas of slower water; areas with rocks,
debris, and thick vegetation are primed for prolific western Green
Drake hatches.
How to Fish Mercer’s Poxyback Green Drake Emerger
Fish
this fly on a dead drift through medium to slow water types; slower
current seams and longer intersections of sheltered areas and deeper
runs are generally very productive water for hatching western Green
Drakes. The western Green Drake is a very poor swimmer and its
successful emergence at the water’s surface film usually requires
several attempts. Subsequently, the western Green Drake expends a
considerable amount of energy during its hatch period; the trout that
feed on these large nymphs do not. When a hatch is in full swing, be
sure to watch the individual rises of feeding trout closely and aim for
a specific fish – the drift is like a conveyor belt stocked with food
during a hatch and a trout is not likely to move very far from its
holding position to snag another neat little package of western Green
Drake protein.
Green Drake
Drunella
grandis and doddsi are large, olive green to brown mayflies commonly
known as the western Green Drake. The species is famous on trout rivers
in western North America for its prolific hatches in faster, rocky
water. During the larval stage, western Green Drakes thrive in the
well-oxygenated water of medium to fast riffles and current seams.
These crawling mayflies require lots of rocky structure, debris, and
vegetation to remain comfortable in their environment. The western
Green Drake follows the life stages of a typical mayfly life cycle and
hatches during the summer months of June and July with often quite
intense emergences.
There is a species of mayfly found in the
rivers and streams of the northeastern United States that also bears
the name “Green Drake.” These eastern Green Drakes (Ephemera guttulata)
are relatively large burrowing nymphs that are similar in color to the
western Green Drake, but display a lighter tan or white abdomen.
Eastern Green Drake activity has gained a reputation in some eastern
fishing circles as an “epic hatch” but this prolific emergence is
highly localized, rendering the species an important one, but not an
integral one to an eastern fly angler’s overall success. The eastern
Green Drake dun molts to the famous Coffin Fly spinner, a beautiful
mayfly with dark, patterned wings and a bright white body.
Green Drake Emerger Life Stage
During
its emerger life stage, these strong-legged crawlers are commonly found
moving clumsily from faster water types to areas of medium or slower
currents. The most prolific nymph populations tend to occur in cool,
well-oxygenated water; the transition zones from riffles and
well-defined current seams to slower eddys and slack water are perfect
spots to look for emergent western Green Drakes. These large insects
love structure, making rocky river bottoms and areas with lots of
debris and vegetation prime western Green Drake habitat. Because their
swimming ability is quite notably underdeveloped, these olive-brown
emergers will commonly expose themselves by making several clumsy
attempts at emergence and subsequent hatching. Western Green Drake
emergers begin hatching and are available to trout through a narrow
window from June to the end of July and are most active from the early
morning hours to the middle of the afternoon.
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.”