Sulphur-PMD Flymph

[tie2fish]

This fly will hopefully serve to imitate both mid-season Eastern sulphurs and early-season Rocky Mountain PMDs. It is tied "Hidy style" on a Size #16 dry fly hook, with a cigar shaped profile, long tail whisks, a cone shaped head, and mobile hackle. The body is a pre-spun dubbing brush made with a blend of fox fur and light yellow wool, with just a touch of amber dubbing in the thorax area. A fine gold wire rib adds a segmented look.

[William Anderson]

Bill another very cool tie. I don't recall seeing such a specific sulphur tied by PH, but it had to be done. In a #16 this combo should be great around here. You tied a series of sulphurs and PMD's in the past couple of years as soft-hackles, and a few as emerges that have been spot on. I'll be very curious to see how this pattern fairs against your other versions, head to head. I don't think we've had that opportunity to compare the over all construction with what we've been tying in recent years (shorter hackle, shorter tail, separate thorax, smaller head, etc.) I can't imagine we would parse out a catch rate or a take count even side by side. They all seem very productive. Looking forward to testing the patterns.

Nicely done. I hope you tied more than a few.

w

[tie2fish]

Thank you, W. Lance and I have puzzled briefly about the absence of an obvious "sulphur" pattern in the writings and fly wallets of JL and Pete. Given that they were from an area known today for its strong sulphur hatches, I am a bit surprised that he and Pete apparently did not seek to exploit this insect. One possibility, I suppose, would be that NE and east central Pennsylvania did not have the kinds of sulphur hatches then that exist today. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who is knowledgeable on this subject.

[Smuggler]

That's pretty Bill, well done. I really like your proportions on this pattern, looks classy. This might be the ticket for June!

[Ruard]

Hi Bill,

Very nice looking fly and well tied as always!!

About the absence of this pattern:

For a long time there was the opinion that the yellow may fly (heptagenia sulphurea) was not of importance for the fly fisher because the trout are reputed to dislike them see page 64 of the book of John Goddard Trout Flies of Britain and Europe. I could imagine that the flyfisher in 1940 not only imported the flies of Europe but also the opinions of the old country.


greeting


Ruard

[daringduffer]

Ruard,
From what I've read, it seems as if the anglers from the southern chalkstreams regarded the Heptagenia sulphurea as insignificant for the flyfisher, while the anglers fishing northern freestone streams were of different opinion. Oliver Edwards is one of the modern proponents. When southerners write, they seem to disregard trout behaviour in "lesser" waters. There is a difference between speaking of what "trout do" and what "trout in our waters do", or don't do. Do you really believe that Jim Leisenring, who was so meticulous, should have disregarded this species because what somebody else had written? I would suppose the reason is to be found elsewhere. I have read about changing insect behaviour in UK, hatches occuring later in the evening for instance, and such changes might have happened both before and elsewhere. I know of a skilled fisherman who switches to Yellow May nymphs when he notices "the sprinkled hatch of the Yellow May". If the fish are eating the nymphs, the insect isn't of much use to the "dry fly only" fisherman...

dd

[letumgo]

It was so nice to watch you tie at the museum. As I look at the tail, I can picture you pulling the fibers off the feather.

Marvelous fly, Bill. I can't imagine that not working.

[redietz]

I've wondered somewhat about the absence of a sulfur pattern as well. I wouldn't expect to hear the name "sulfur" per se, since I believe it was Charlie Fox who first applied the term to the Emphemerellas we know and love sometime in the 50's. There are some patterns in The Art, etc that would fish during mid-May:

Light Snipe and Yellow
Pale Watery Dun
Tup's Nymph
Doctor Lyte Palmer
Dun Spider
Watery Dun

And don't forget that the nymphs swimming to the top are brown, which opens a whole new set of possibilities.

[tie2fish]

All good possibilities, Bob. The Light Blue Dun, Pale Evening Dun, and Light Cahill patterns attributed to Pete Hidy by Overfield would also probably work, but none have the orangish/amber tint we associate with the early Ephemerellas.

[DUBBN]

Great looking pattern Mr. Shuck. I am liking the longer (to me) tails on this pattern.