No modern angler understood or advocated the concept of subsurface fly
fishing, especially with soft hackled wet flies, more completely than
Sylvester Nemes. In fact, he is often credited with raising soft hackle
fly patterns from the depths of dead fly fishing lore, elevating them
in a short time to a newly trusted and loved fly style.
Sylvester Nemes’ Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail
Isonychia
- Hendrickson is a mashed-up pattern, combining the tyer’s American
take on a classic English North Country fly pattern tied in the drab
colors of an
Isonychia or
Hendrickson cripple with a Sawyer's classic Pheasant Tail nymph. This
fly’s long, soft partridge hackle feathers give it lots of enticing
movement and its profile is perfect for attracting hungry fish.
Specifications:
- This fly pattern was developed by Sylvester Nemes, the fly tyer credited with single handedly reviving the spider soft hackle fly in America
- A mashed-up pattern, combining the tyer’s American take on a classic English North Country fly pattern tied in the drab colors of an Isonychia or Hendrickson cripple with a Sawyer's classic Pheasant Tail nymph
- 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 14
When and Where to Fish Nemes' Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail Isonychia - Hendrickson Cripple
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 Nemes' Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail Isonychia - Hendrickson Cripple
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: Sylvester Nemes
Many of the world’s greatest movements are really just retooled
versions of events or trends that came before. This is, of course,
because the human inventive streak likes to recognize patterns, and
hey, if something isn’t broken, why fix it? This is certainly what
Sylvester Nemes, the granddaddy of American wet fly fishing, must have
been thinking when he single handedly revived the style of North
Country Spider or soft hackled wet fly from its death bed in the 1970s.
In fact, Nemes’ book, “The Soft-Hackled Fly,” first published in 1975,
is still thought to be the seminal American work on modern wet fly
tying and fishing. Nemes’ takes on classic patterns and his advocacy of
subsurface fly fishing have made a tremendous impact on the way we fish
now and his contributions to this area of the sport will remain solidly
in the annals of fly fishing history for years to come.
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.”