Meet the Tyer: Mike Mercer

Mike Mercer at the Vise

I was immensely fortunate to have grown up in the fly fishing utopia of

Northern California. As a teenager in the 70’s, living in Chico, I enthusiastically

pursued Sacramento pikeminnows as they rose to Rio Grande Kings in weedy roadside

ditches, cast poppers and streamers to bass and bluegills in murky sloughs, and slung

McLeod Uglies on 30-foot shooting heads on the Feather River hoping for the

unspeakable thrill of a steelhead. In the 80’s I found myself working for The Fly Shop in

Redding – still there today! – fishing and guiding on Fall River, Hat Creek, the McCloud,

Upper Sacramento, the Pit, the Trinity and any number of other world-class fisheries.

Mike fishing the Sacramento River outside of Redding, CA

These rivers were, and still are incredibly healthy and diverse, with thriving populations of wild trout.

As well, each has a unique aquatic biomass. On any given day I might encounter pale

morning duns and Hexagenias on Fall River, Isonychias and salmonflies on the Pit,

October Caddis and blue wing olives on the McCloud, green drakes, golden stones,

Mother’s Day Caddis, and little yellow stones on the Upper Sac, March Browns and

Skwalas on the Trinity, and nearly every one of these and many more in the remarkably

fertile waters of Hat Creek.

Mike setting on a trout in the Upper Sac

 

Those years shaped me as a fly tier, instilling a passionate desire to

understand what fish saw when they were feeding…what their food looked like and how

I might create flies that engendered a sense of confidence in the trout that they were

seeing the real thing.

Missing Link Caddis

I began tying for Umpqua Feather Merchants soon after, and all

those years lived daily on the water began manifesting as countless ideas for new

patterns. Z-Wing Caddis led to the Poxyback Series, which were followed by Trigger

Nymphs, Psycho Princes, Rag Nymphs, Micro Mayflies, and Profile Spinners. More

recently there has been the Missing Link and Stealth Link series, and a bunch of

tungsten beaded nymphs of all sorts. Some were borne of ideas for new and exciting tying

materials, but all had the common genesis of time spent on the water, fishing and observing. And

as much as I may try to avoid designing new flies based on existing patterns,

there is no doubt that all tiers borrow from the ideas and innovations of

the gifted tiers that came before them. I was privileged to guide and fish with such

master fly designers as Bob Quigley and Andy Burk, and count as mentors,

some of the greatest tying innovators of my generation.

Mercer's Psycho Prince Nymph

Moving forward, California rivers (and I admit, some of my favorite Montana waters)

continue to provide a wellspring of new ideas for the flies of tomorrow. In Summer 2026

you’ll find my new Swim Caddis pupa. After two years of water time on the Lower Sacramento

(and the Gallatin) it has become my absolute favorite swing bug, in addition to crushing

fish beneath a Chubby Chernobyl or indicator. Surprising even me, it also accounted for

dozens of steelhead this past winter on the Trinity River! As is often the case, despite my best

efforts to discern and imitate what the fish want, I suspect with this new caddis, and probably with

most of my patterns in the past, there is always a certain amount of luck in

designing highly effective flies, and I think that is perhaps as it should be, as mystery will always be

a wonderfully vital part of this passion that we so enjoy.

The Swim Caddis, coming summer 2026

 

- Umpqua Signature Tyer Mike Mercer