Gray’s Stillborn Hex

Gray’s Stillborn Hex

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Tying Instructions

1.Flatten down the barb with your hemostats and attach the hook to the vise.

2. Attach the thread to the hook just behind the eye and lay a thread base to the bend of the hook.

3. Select three Ostrich Herls with their tips even. Measure the tips for length, they should be about the same as the shank length.

4. Attach at the bend of the hook to the top of the shank.

5.Split the three herls with thread wraps so that the outer two herls point outwards.

6. Secure the tag ends of the herls along the top of the shank to just about the midpoint of the shank.

7. Bend the herl tags back towards the tails and wrap to the the tail tie-in position. Attach a piece of Medium Gold Wire to the top of the shank from the tail tie-in position to a 1/4 inch behind the eye. Secure with thread wraps and leave the bobbin behind the eye.

8. Wrap the three herl tag ends forward to about 1/4 inch beind the eye. Secure with thread wraps.

9. Wrap the wire ribbing forward through the ostrich herl with evenly spaced turns. Secure the ribbing about 1/4 inch behind the eye and wrap with thread. Use heavy scissors to trim the wire.

10.Clip a segment of Elk Hair. Remove the underfur with a comb and even the tips in a stacker. Secure the hair by the butts in front of the abdomen.

11. Next, secure a strand of Long shuck by the thread core to the hook shank in front of the abdomen.

12. Wrap about 6-7 times in front of the abdomen. Secure the tag end about one eye length behind the eye with thread wraps and trim off the tag end.

13. Bring the Elk Hair over the thorax and secure with thread wraps behind the eye of the hook.

14. Lift up the tips of the Elk Hair and apply a few thread wraps up against the base of the hair behind the eye of the hook.

15. Trim the tips so that they are even with the eye of the hook and apply a whip finish. Apply some head cement to the thread wraps.

16. The finished fly.

 

Materials to Order Material, click the link
Hook	Daiichi 1260 #6-8
Thread	Danville Pale Yellow 6/0
Body	Natural Ostrich Herls
Thorax	Olive Krystal Chenille
Tail	Three Natural Ostrich Herl tips
Wingpost	Golden Stone Elk Rump Hair
Ribbing	Medium Gold Wire

Lincoln Gray

Gray’s Stillborn Hex

Designed by Lincoln Gray, Sales Manager of Sierra Stream and Mountain in Chico, CA . Lincoln operates a stillwater fly fishing school, Lincoln Gray’s Fly Fishing Adventures, on Lake Almanor and has been developing a series of hex patterns based upon his 30 years of fishing this lake.

Most of the patterns have been a collaborative effort between Lincoln and his twin brother, Lance. An excellent article on Lincoln’s fly patterns, written by Tim Warriner, was published by Fly Tyer Magazine in Summer 2008.

Lincoln’s Stillborn Hex

Bill Carnazzo wrote a nice piece profiling Lincoln’s Stillborn Hex in the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of California Fly Fisher. Lincoln is quoted, “The Hexagenia Stillborn was developed for one reason only, to catch more fish on Lake Almanor. Over many years of guiding and instructing students in my schools, it occurred to me that I might be missing an aspect of the Hexagenia limbata mayfly hatch that had the potential to raise catch rates significantly – the stillborn form of this insect.”

“As I began to investigate this possibility, I saw what appeared to be many unopened or just barely opened shucks on the water. A closer look revealed that inside the floating exoskeleton were fully formed, but dead adults that were for some reason unable to wiggle free of the case. A light bulb went off in my head: while cripple patterns, paracripples, duns, and nymphs are the flies du jour for the Hex hatch, they don’t always work. Why not cobble up a fly that lies in or just below the surface film to imitate the stillborn form?”

Two Versions

Lincoln spent about seven years designing and testing various patterns. Two evolved from this process. The version that rides lower within the surface film uses a Elk Hair wing case. This is perfect for calm evenings with flat water surfaces. However, during windy conditions in which the surface is stirred up a foam wing case works better.

“My method for fishing both pattern styles is simple. I normally first tie on a cripple or paracripple patterns. I then tie a 14-16 inch piece of tippet material to the bend of that fly and tie on the Hexagenia Stillborn as my point fly. Once I have cast the rig, I let the flies sit for a moment or two and then give them a twitch, followed by another pause and then a strip. The cripple patterns serves as an indicator, which helps strike detection, since the stillborn imitation is very difficult to see on the water, especially at dusk or near dark.”

Stillborn Hex w/foam wingcase

Hook	Daiichi 1260 #6-8
Thread	Danville Pale Yellow 6/0
Body	Natural Ostrich Herls
Thorax	Olive Krystal Chenille
Tail	Three Natural Ostrich Herl tips
Wingcase	1mm Yellow Fly Foam
Ribbing	Medium Gold Wire