Hern's Spent Drake Fly

About the Hern's Spent Drake Trout Fly

Hern’s Spent Drake is a beautifully simple and highly effective Mayfly spinner pattern, designed for trout feeding on spent, crippled or dying adult Mayflies trapped in the surface film. It is a superb choice during the Mayfly hatch, particularly from late afternoon into dusk and through the night, when spinners fall back onto the water and trout feed confidently on easy prey.

With its spent black hackle-fibre wings, pale buoyant body and grizzle hackle, this fly sits convincingly in the surface, suggesting a vulnerable Mayfly spinner that has finished egg-laying or become trapped in the film. It is especially useful when trout are sipping rather than crashing at emergers, and when a more exact spent-wing profile is needed than a general Mayfly dry.

This is a wonderfully dependable pattern to fish alongside an Olive Wulff during Mayfly time: use the Wulff for searching or rougher water, and switch to Hern’s Spent Drake when fish are locked onto spinners, spent flies and cripples.

Fishing Tips:

Fish Hern’s Spent Drake when trout are taking flies flush in the surface rather than chasing active duns. It is particularly useful during the evening spinner fall, but can also be deadly first thing in the morning when spent or crippled Mayflies from the previous night are still caught in the film.

Present it on a floating line with a fine leader and aim for a drag-free drift. On stillwaters, leave it motionless among natural spinners, or use the faintest twitch to suggest a crippled Mayfly still moving in the surface.

• Imitates: Spent Mayfly, crippled Mayfly spinner, dying Drake
• Best time: Mayfly season, especially late afternoon, evening, night and early morning

Historical Note

The fishing quotation currently used on the product page appears to come from Alfred Ronalds, not “Alfred Roland”. Ronalds’ The Fly-Fisher’s Entomology was first published in 1836, with a revised fifth edition appearing in 1856. The wording is very close to Ronalds’ line: “The selection of a fly requires more judgment, experience, and patience, than any other branch of the art.”

Creator of this trout fly: Tony Hern

Tier of this trout fly: Tony Hern

Country of origin for this trout fly: England

This trout fly is designed to be fished on Rivers & Streams, Still Water

Pattern Dressings

• Hook : 10.
• Silk : Black.
• Tails : Three fibres from a cock pheasant centre tail.
• Body : White siliconised polypropylene floating yarn.
• Rib : Black silk.
• Wings : Black hackle fibres tied spent.
• Hackle : Grizzle.

B830.