Swimming Hex
A number of people have inquired about how to tie my hex nymph pattern featured in Fly Tyer Magazine- Spring 2010 as a part of ”Rainy’s Newest Flies for 2010.” I know what you are thinking – not another Hex nymph pattern? Yep, but this one is a little different than the others out there.
Originally I designed this pattern for carp fishing – weighted eyes tied on the topside of the hook to keep the point up and sharp while a rabbit strip tail that creates lots of motion when striped or from wave action. Fished slowly with short strips or “bumps” on the retrieve does a great job of imitating the burrowing mayflies found in the silt of my favorite carp waters, but there are times when a fast paced strip to emulate a swimming hex drives both carp and smallmouth bass nuts. I think “swimming” this pattern does a good job of imitating juvenile gobies which are so prevalent in the Great Lakes. Steelhead anglers will find fishing this pattern under a float to be effective since it has lots of motion due to the rabbit strip tail and looks like the hex nymphs/wigglers swimming in the same waters.
I like to tie this pattern in a variety of different weights to get down in a variety of depths. After you tie this fly on be sure to massage some water into it to help sink it; rabbit hair inherently has lots of air trapped causing it to float or suspend. Not a fly tyer? You can buy these from your local fly shop that sells Rainy’s flies.
Recipe:
Hook: Mustad C49S #6
Thread: Uni 6/0 Camel
Body: McLean’s tan/brown barred rabbit strip
Thorax: Wapsi’s Golden Stone Lifecycle dubbing
Eyes: Bead chain – med or lead dumbbell eyes - extra small, or small
Hackle: Pheasant Rump Feather
Legs: Sili-Legs - pumpkin/black
Wing Case: Peacock Herl
Gills: Gray fibers from the base of pheasant feather
Step 1. Wrap thread base layer and tie in eyes on top of hook using figure-8 wraps.
Step 2. Cut a piece of rabbit strip about three times the length of hook shank. Remove hook from vise and poke the hook point through it so that the eyes are down and the fur is up. Tie it down so it’s slightly on the curved part of the shank encouraging an upright position.
Step 3. Tie in gills – taken from the bottom part of a pheasant rump feather. Tie them so they flare on both sides of the rabbit strip.
Step 4. Take a clump of peacock herl and tie in by the tips.
Step 5. Tie in Pheasant feather by the tip and Dub a thorax that is just thicker than the rabbit strip.
Step 6. Palmer hackle and tie off behind eyes.
Step 7. Figure-8 some Sili-Legs.
Step 8. Sparsely dub around eyes to cover thread wraps.
Step 9. Pull peacock herl over the back dividing the pheasant fibers evenly and tie off just behind the hook eye. Whip finish.