Northern California’s Pit River is majestic and wild. On this
boulder-laden stretch of richly productive trout water, a fly angler
called Dave Sloan was inspired to create the perfect mayfly nymph.
Itching to replicate the notch he observed in the wing case of a local Pit River
Baetis, Sloan rushed home to his vise and got to work.
Sloan settled on the common turkey feather, and as he says
“colored it black, and epoxied it.”
Sloan’s Bead Head Mighty May Sulfer fly pattern is
an extremely effective choice when imitating mature Sulfer nymphs. It’s
got a black bead that’ll give your offering a sweetly seductive
underwater profile – not as garish as a shiny gold bead. From the Pit
River to your home water, Dave Sloan’s Mighty May Sulfer nymph’s
notched, epoxied wing case still steals the show.
Specifications:
- This fly pattern was developed by Dave Sloan while guiding clients on the Pit River in Northern California
- The Mighty May nymph series is defined by the dark, notched, and epoxy coated wing case
- Sulfer 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 and pocket water
- Play with line tension during the drift to simulate a nymph struggling to emerge
- High stick nymphing techniques will also yield good results
- SIZE 16
When and Where to Fish Sloan’s Bead Head Mighty May Sulfer
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 Sulfer hatch, try this pattern out just prior to or during
the hatch of adult duns. The black bead head on this fly will give you
a bit more profile and weight. Fish it in deeper riffles, runs, and
pools or in situations when water quality is poor.
How to Fish Sloan’s Bead Head Mighty May Sulfer
This
nymph is wickedly effective when fished on a dead drift. You can also
try this subsurface fly out on the swing just prior to or smack in the
middle of a sulfer hatch. Fish it through faster riffles and pocket
water, as sulfer nymphs thrive in well oxygenated environments. Because
of the sulfer’s long and difficult emergence, presentation is
important. Play with variations in line tension as you drift this
nymph. The subtle movements and twitches created by varying your slack
line during the drift can imitate the emergent insect’s struggle quite
well. You can also find success by employing a high stick nymphing
technique when fishing this fly pattern.
Sulfer
The
sulfer (Ephemerella dorothea) is a mayfly that enjoys a healthy and
wide distribution in trout water across North America. The sulfer can
be an important hatch in the rivers and streams of the northeastern
United States. The sulfer follows the life stages of a typical mayfly
life cycle and generally hatches in a narrow window from the end of May
through the middle weekend in July. Nymphs tend to be brownish colored
with banded legs and adult duns are a rich sulfer yellow through the
abdomen, wings, and tails.
Sulfer Nymph Life Stage
During
their 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,
pocket water, and longer runs. Water temperatures should be cool, but
not too cold. The densest populations of sulfer nymphs most often
reside in areas where water clarity is high. Sulfer nymphs are quite
vulnerable for a considerable amount of time prior to actually hatching
into adult duns. Trout can easily nab these poor swimmers as they
struggle to shed their nymphal shuck. Sulfer nymphs frequently get
trapped or “hung in their shuck,” failing to discard it completely. As
a result of this failed emergence, they are exposed as food to hungry
trout, making the emerger life stage of the sulfer important to
understand and imitate.
About the Tyer: Dave Sloan
If
you find yourself near rivers with names like the Pit, Yuba, Truckee,
or the Upper Sac, you probably won’t be too far away from Mr. Dave
Sloan, one of Northern California’s better fly fishing resources. In
addition to running a legendary guiding service, Dave works and lives
in California’s capitol city of Sacramento where he runs a wide variety
of educational programs for fly fishers and fly tyers of all stripes.
Dave is passionate about the sport of fly fishing and has built a solid
reputation in the American West. Dave has licensed several of his
innovative fly designs to Umpqua Feather Merchants for wider production
and distribution, and his Mighty May nymph series has taken many trout
waters by storm! Dave continues to innovate and push the limits of both
fly fishing technique and fly tying, so keep an eye out for Sloan’s
next wicked fly!
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.”