Hexagenia Cripple

A large low-riding Quigley-style hex with a marabou abdomen, emu shuck, deer-hair wing and grizzly hackle.

The source index says Hexagenia Cripple without revealing the photographed fly’s construction. This page gives the Hexagenia Quigley Cripple recipe and tying approach documented by Fly Fishing the Sierra as a specific exemplar; it does not identify the index photo as a Quigley fly.

At the vise: Advanced
Common sizes: #8–10

Flies for Trout

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From hook to fly

At the vise.

6 steps

Work through the numbered steps in order, using the materials list and written proportions as your guide.

Set tail and rib
Start yellow thread behind the eye and wrap to the bend. Tie three emu strands as a short trailing tail, then anchor the yellow yarn rib at the same point.
Build the soft abdomen
Tie in gray marabou fibers at the bend, leaving a small trailing tuft. Twist their longer ends lightly and wind them forward to about mid-shank.
Segment the body
Wind the yellow yarn in open turns over the gray marabou, secure it at mid-shank and trim the surplus.
Make a buoyant thorax
Flare a sparse amount of yellow deer hair around the shank in front of the abdomen. Bind it firmly and trim the butts to a short, compact thorax without burying the abdomen.
Mount the forward wing
Clean and stack another modest clump of yellow deer hair. Tie it ahead of the thorax with tips projecting over the eye, then raise it with a few supporting thread turns.
Hackle and finish
Tie golden-olive grizzly hackle at the wing base, wrap a sparse collar around the front, secure the stem and whip finish behind the eye.

Beyond the bench

On the water.

Let the marabou abdomen hang in the surface film while the deer-hair wing and hackle support the front. Apply floatant only to the buoyant upper materials.

Tied by independent makers