Midge / EmergersDHE 2.0 (Deer Hair Emerger 2.0)
This updated Deer Hair Emerger builds an olive-dyed hare abdomen ribbed with the tying thread, a natural deer hair wing and shoulder, and a hare's ear thorax. Floatant goes only on the wing and thorax, letting the abdomen hang down through the surface film like a natural mid-emergence.
Spring, Summer, Fall
Intermediate
Trout
Feb 2026
Overview
No confirmed originator is credited for this version of the pattern, only that it reworks the standard Deer Hair Emerger recipe. The tying-thread rib keeps the abdomen slim rather than adding a separate rib material, and the deer hair wing and shoulder do double duty as both flotation and profile. Treating the wing and thorax with floatant while leaving the abdomen untreated is the key to getting it to sit correctly, half in and half out of the film, during a hatch.
Where to Buy This Fly
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Materials
- Hook:
- Partridge GRS 6A #12
- Thread:
- Uni-thread 6/0, Brown
- Rib:
- Tying thread
- Abdomen:
- Hare, dyed olive (or color to match the natural)
- Wing/shoulder:
- Deer hair, natural
- Thorax:
- Hare's ear, natural
Behavior & Presentation
Natural Behavior: Emergers hang in the film with trailing shucks, struggling to complete transformation while partially trapped. Wing cases bulge as adults extract, creating vulnerable targets.
Where Trout Eat It: Selective feeders position in the film, sipping emergers from feeding lanes and foam lines.
How to Fish It: Fish in the surface film with drag-free drifts, allowing the fly to hang naturally.
Best Water: Slicks, tail-outs, foam lines, and flat water where film-trapped emergers concentrate during hatches.
Strike Type: Delicate sips barely dimpling the surface as selective fish take suspended emergers.
Fishing Strategy
Rigging Suggestions: Use a 12-15 foot leader with 6X-7X tippet. Fish alone or as a dropper beneath a small dry fly.
Seasonal Timing: Most effective during peak feeding periods at dawn and dusk. Water temperatures between 45-65°F typically produce best results.
Pro Tips: Treat only the deer hair portion with floatant, allowing the body to hang naturally in the surface film. This creates the authentic profile of an emerging insect that selective trout find difficult to refuse during technical fishing situations.
Entomology
Aquatic insects in the emerger stage struggle at the interface between water and air, their bodies partially breaking the surface film while they work to shed the nymphal skin and expand their wings. Trout feeding on emergers make slow deliberate rises, targeting insects that cannot dive or escape during this multi-minute transformation.
- Organism Type
- insect
- Life Stage
- general
