Michigan Flies

Flies / Dry fly

Hex Spinner

A

Hex spinners fall shortly after dark one to three nights after the duns emerge, and the spent-wing pattern is what the largest browns eat once the flat is covered in dead bugs. Fish a #4 to #8 spinner from about 10:30 pm on Au Sable, Manistee and Pere Marquette silt flats in late June and early July.

#4–8Yellow body, clear or gray wingsDark Hexdusknight
What the pattern looks like
Reference photos of the Hex Spinner tied by others, shared by their photographers. Not our flies; our own product photos replace these as they are shot.

Photo © Quinn, used with permission

Season
Months this pattern is in play across Michigan, derived from what it imitates.
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec
Imitates

The naturals

Fish it for
Brown troutBrook troutRainbow trout (resident)

Setups

  • Dry fly
How it's tied
A
Hex Spinner (clear-wing / poly-wing). The spent giant mayfly of late June and July nights: a long yellow body, split tails and flat clear wings that trout find in the dark by silhouette alone. Our own write-up of the standard tie, checked against the sources below. Recipe by IdentaFly.

Materials

Hook
2X- or 3X-long dry-fly hook (Daiichi 1280, TMC 5212, Daiichi 1110 wide gape), sizes 4-8
Thread
Rusty brown or yellow, 6/0
Tail
Two or three long moose body hairs, pale brown Coq de Leon or Microfibetts, split wide
Body
Creamy yellow dubbing ribbed with brown thread or wireMichigan deer-hair version: yellow deer hair laid along the shank, bound with X-wraps, butts as a post; Dark Hex: rusty brown dubbing or hair
Wings
Clear or white Antron, poly yarn, Hi-Vis or sparkle organza, tied spentSome tiers add a few grizzly hackle turns clipped top and bottom for legs and float
Thorax
Yellow or brown dubbing figure-eighted around the wings
Hackleoptional
Grizzly or brown, a few turns through the thorax, trimmed flat underneath

Steps

  1. 1.Lay a thread base to the bend and tie in two or three long tail fibers, about one and a half to two shank lengths; split them with a small ball of dubbing or a few thread turns so they splay.
  2. 2.Tie in the ribbing wire or a length of brown thread at the tail.
  3. 3.Dub a noodle of creamy yellow dubbing and wind a long, slightly tapered abdomen to the two-thirds point; rib it with evenly spaced turns and tie off.
  4. 4.Cut a length of clear Antron or poly yarn, lay it across the shank at the front of the abdomen and figure-eight it firmly so the wings stand out flat to each side.
  5. 5.Dub the thorax, crossing the dubbing over and under the wing roots to lock them in place and build a slight hump.
  6. 6.If you want legs and extra float, wind two or three turns of grizzly hackle through the thorax and clip it flush on top and bottom.
  7. 7.Whip finish behind the eye and trim the wings so each is roughly the length of the hook.
  8. 8.For the Michigan deer-hair version, bind a bunch of yellow deer hair along the shank with criss-cross wraps over the tail, pull the butts up for a post, tie the wings in front of it and wind a parachute hackle around the post so the fly rides low but floats all night.

From the tier

  • Hex spinners join the emerging duns a few nights into the hatch, from dusk to around midnight in late June and mid-July; carry a small light for changing from dun to spinner and fish heavier tippet than you think you need.
  • Ed McCoy fishes an impressionistic spinner by casting to seams and letting the fly hunt, and pairs it with the All Day Dun in Hex size.
  • Matt Supinski's counsel is persistence: the biggest browns lie under sweepers and can refuse the same presentation night after night before they eat.

Clear Wing Hex Spinner (Hex) - dry Materials follow the IdentaFly Clear Wing Hex Spinner; steps scale up the Orvis poly-wing spinner sequence, with the deer-hair variant summarized from the Gates Lodge Brown Drake and Regan's spinner method. No single Michigan shop published a full Hex spinner recipe online. Unconfirmed: IdentaFly lists the hook as size 8-10, smaller than the 4-8 Michigan shops sell; the Dark Hex color shade is not specified by any source. Also checked against Orvis Learning Center, Dry Flies - Poly Wing Rusty Spinner, Gates Au Sable Lodge (2016), Brown Drake, Barry Ord Clarke, The Feather Bender (2022), Regan's Mayfly Spinner, Mangled Fly / Ed McCoy, Hex Spinner Pattern, WiFlyFisher, Hexagenia limbata | Hex hatch and Matthew Supinski, Hallowed Waters (2021), The Vexing Hex Hatch.

Materials to buy
Everything one Hex Spinner takes, each item once: 5 items, plus 2 optional. Quantities are for a single fly. We do not sell components yet; when we do, these will link to them.

Hook and hardware

  • Long-shank dry-fly hooks1 per fly

    sizes 4-8

    Hook

Feathers and fur

  • Moose body hair or Microfibetts1 patch or pack

    pale brown

    Tail

  • Dry-fly dubbing1 packet each

    creamy yellow and rusty brown

    BodyThorax

  • Yellow deer body hairoptional1 patch

    yellow

    Body

    Deer-hair Michigan variant

  • Grizzly dry-fly saddleoptional1 saddle

    Hackle

Synthetics, flash and legs

  • Clear Antron or white poly yarn1 card

    clear or white

    Wings

Thread and finish

  • Tying thread1 spool

    rusty brown, 6/0

    Thread

Sources