Bear's Hex Nymph, "Fly of the Week #165

Bear's Hex Nymph
By Jeff "Bear" Andrews
Photos by Jim Birkholm

Bear's Hex Nymph

Jeff "Bear" Andrews is a fly designer for Umpqua Feather Merchants, and was the 1998 "Buz" Buszek Fly Tying Award Winner. He kindly tied his Hex for us in the Ewing Feather Birds booth at the Salt Lake Fly-Fishing Retail World Trade Expo 2000.

Materials

Hooks: Daiichi 1730 3X long streamer hook BENT, size 6.

Thread: 10/0 Unithread.

Tail: Fluff from Pheasant body feather. (Optional 3 fibers Emu) .

Body: Spirit River squirrel blend sulphur color.

Gills: Aftershaft from pheasant feather.

Back and Wingcase: Pheasant tail pre-treated with Daves Fleximent.

Ribbing: Gold or silver wire or fine mono.

Legs: Tan or brown hen saddle palmered 3 or 4 turns .

Eyes: Spirit river x-small eyes.

Hackle: Hen saddle hackle (grizzly died yellow Ewing).

Tying Steps:

1. Dress hook.

2. Tie in pheasant fluff (or emu) for tail, wrap forward and back.

3. Tie in 3/16" wide pre-treated pheasant tail strip, tie in curve up at rear.

4. Tie in aftershaft feather from pheasant by tip. The aftershaft is the skinny fluffy one.

5. Tie in dubbing.

6. Dub body.

7. Pull aftershaft forward over dubbing and tie down.

8. Pull same aftershaft back, tie down.

9. Over the top of the aftershaft, pull pheasant strip forward and tie down.

10. Use a couple of thread turns to form segments.

11. Fold pheasant strip back, do not tie down yet.

12. Tie in any hen saddle hackle (grizzly dyed yellow Ewing here) tie in by TIP.

13. Palmer hen hackle through thorax.

14. Tie in eyes, secure by cris-cross and figure eight wraps.

15. Prepare a little more dubbing.

16. Add the prepared dubbing behind eyes to form head.

17. Fold forward remaining pre-treated pheasant tail strip over head, tie off.

18. Tie in wire and rib to form segments.

19. Whip Finish.

Fishing Suggestions:

My Hex nymph is used as an imitation of the Hexagenia limbata, a very large mayfly which hatches at night. While the hatching insect is only available a short time, fish take the nymph all season. Steehead particularly love it! ~ Jeff "Bear" Andrews

Editors Note:
For more information on fishing the Hex, check out The Great Hex Hatch.

For more great flies, check out: Beginning Fly Tying and Intermediate Fly Tying.