Bare Woods Mahogany Dun
by @dekasso
Mahogany Dun · Dry fly
Grey wings over a spring woodland run
A slim Mahogany Dun dry fly on a size 16 hook, with long split dun tails, for trout rising to mahogany mayflies.
A slim Mahogany Dun dry fly with a sparse grey hackle and two long tails that fork wide at the tips. The body is wrapped in smooth mahogany thread, set off by dun Microfibbetts and a rust brown head.
- Pattern
- Mahogany Dun
- Imitates
- Mahogany dun (Paraleptophlebia)
- When
- typically spring and early fall afternoons
- Hook
- size 16
- Tippet
- 5Xrule of three
- Size 16 dry fly hook
- Slim mahogany thread body
- Long split dun Microfibbetts tails
- Sparse grey dun rooster hackle
- Matches mahogany dun hatches
On the water
A thin mahogany body, segmented and glossy, sits under a fan of grey dun hackle. Two long tails stretch out behind and split wide at the ends. Behind it, a clear stream slides past bare trees and mossy stones.
Fish it on the soft glides of small wooded creeks when mahogany duns drift off the riffles. Drop it a few feet above a riser and let it float drag-free. The sparse hackle keeps it low and quiet on the film.
Microfibbetts tails are worth the care. Tie them long and split them so they angle apart; that wide stance props the fly level and gives the outline its spindly mayfly look.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 5Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, tapered — longer and finer in flat water
- Rig on 6X tippet, 9 to 12 feet of leader, for clear slow water.
- Cast slightly upstream and mend early to keep the drift free of drag.
- A light dab of floatant on the hackle only keeps the body sitting in the film.
Where and when
- Hatch
- Mahogany dun (Paraleptophlebia)typically spring and early fall afternoons
- Target
- Trout
- Water type
- Small wooded streams, slow glides and soft runs
- Also fishes
- Doubles as a general small brown mayfly on spring creeks and tailwater flats when trout sip quietly in slow, clear water.
Make it yourself
Intermediate4 materials · 11 steps
- Pattern
- Mahogany Dun
- Style
- Dry fly
- Hook
- Dry fly hooksize 16
- Thread
- Rust brown 8/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- TailDun Microfibbetts
- BodyMahogany thread
- HackleGrey dun rooster hackle
- HeadRust brown 8/0 thread
Details
- Imitates
- Mahogany dun mayfly (Paraleptophlebia)
- Colors
- Mahogany, Rust brown, Grey dun
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (11)
- Mount the size 16 dry fly hook level in the vise.
- Start the rust brown thread behind the eye and wrap a thin base to the bend.
- Build a tiny thread bump at the bend to help separate the tails.
- Tie in two dun Microfibbetts, one each side of the bump, about one and a half hook lengths long.
- Figure-eight a few thread turns between the tails so they angle apart.
- Switch to mahogany thread and wrap a slim, tapered body forward to the two-thirds point.
- Tie off the mahogany thread, then reattach the rust brown thread.
- Tie in the grey dun rooster hackle by the stem, shiny side forward.
- Wrap three to four sparse turns of hackle forward, then tie off and trim the tip.
- Form a small, neat rust brown thread head.
- Whip finish and add a drop of head cement.
Proportions (4)
- Tails: one and a half to two hook shank lengths, split wide at the tips.
- Hackle fibres: about one and a half times the hook gap.
- Body: slim and tapered, covering the rear two-thirds of the shank.
- Head: small, no wider than the body at the thorax.
Tips (3)
- Keep thread wraps flat on the body so the segments look even and smooth.
- Choose a stiff, short-barbed hackle so a few turns are enough to float the fly.
- Trim any stray fibres pointing straight down so the fly lands upright.
Common mistakes (3)
- Tails glued together: use the thread bump and figure-eight wraps so they split.
- Fat body: wrap thin layers of thread and stop well short of the eye.
- Crowded eye: leave room for the hackle and head before starting the body.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 16 · Materials only · 12 flies
$33.80
$2.82 a fly
Includes Dry fly hook · and 6 more
Every item in this kit · 7 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Rust brown 8/0 thread$2.95
- Mahogany thread$2.95
Materials
- Dun Microfibbetts$3.50
- Grey dun rooster hackle$11.95
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 16 · Materials only · 48 flies
$52.44
$1.09 a fly
Bought separately $55.20 · you save $2.76
Includes Dry fly hook · and 6 more
Every item in this kit · 7 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Rust brown 8/0 thread$5.90
- Mahogany thread$2.95
Materials
- Dun Microfibbetts$3.50
- Grey dun rooster hackle$23.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 16 · Materials only · 144 flies
$131.74
$0.91 a fly
Bought separately $149.70 · you save $17.96
Includes Dry fly hook · and 6 more
Every item in this kit · 7 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Rust brown 8/0 thread$17.70
- Mahogany thread$8.85
Materials
- Dun Microfibbetts$10.50
- Grey dun rooster hackle$71.70
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 16 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$183.80
$15.32 a fly
Includes Dry fly hook · and 15 more
Every item in this kit · 16 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Rust brown 8/0 thread$2.95
- Mahogany thread$2.95
Materials
- Dun Microfibbetts$3.50
- Grey dun rooster hackle$11.95
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 16 · With vise & tools · 48 flies
$194.94
$4.06 a fly
Bought separately $205.20 · you save $10.26
Includes Dry fly hook · and 15 more
Every item in this kit · 16 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Rust brown 8/0 thread$5.90
- Mahogany thread$2.95
Materials
- Dun Microfibbetts$3.50
- Grey dun rooster hackle$23.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 16 · With vise & tools · 144 flies
$263.74
$1.83 a fly
Bought separately $299.70 · you save $35.96
Includes Dry fly hook · and 15 more
Every item in this kit · 16 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Rust brown 8/0 thread$17.70
- Mahogany thread$8.85
Materials
- Dun Microfibbetts$10.50
- Grey dun rooster hackle$71.70
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
The creator
How it was made
1 iteration led here; the saved one is marked
1 Saved
Remixes
1 remix of this
Where this came from
“a small skinny half hackle mahagony dun with a long tail that splits at the end”
fly pattern · made
1 remix
25 — from 1 remix, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- mahogany dun
- mayfly
- dry fly
- paraleptophlebia
- trout
- split tail
- grey dun hackle
- small stream
- size 16
- spring hatch