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Sherbet Tinsel Mayfly Dun

by @dekasso

Sherbet Tinsel Mayfly Dun — a fly pattern by Dekasso
More by @dekasso

Dry fly

Candy bands floating over river stones

A slim mayfly dun dry fly on a size 14 hook, with a banded yellow, pink and pearl tinsel body, tied for trout during mayfly hatches.

Sherbet Tinsel Mayfly Dun is a slim mayfly dry with long dun tails and a dun hackle swept back over a fuzzy thorax. Its body is banded in yellow, pink and clear pearl tinsel, bright as a stripe of candy.

Imitates
General mayfly hatches, typically late spring through summer afternoons
Hook
size 14
Tippet
5Xrule of three
  • Banded yellow, pink and pearl tinsel body
  • Long, sparse dun hackle-fiber tails
  • Swept dun rooster hackle
  • Grey-brown hare's ear thorax
  • Size 14 dry-fly hook

On the water

A dry fly riding the surface of a trout river

Long, fine dun tails trail behind a body striped in yellow, pink and see-through pearl. A grey-brown thorax sits up front under a dun hackle that sweeps back toward the bend. Behind it, mossy stones blur in cool, shallow water.

Drop it on a smooth run or the tail of a pool when duns start to lift. Let it drift dead, no drag, and watch the pale bands catch the light. Mend early so the hackle rides the film.

Flat tinsel bands look best when each turn butts tight against the last. Tie in all three colours at the bend, wind them one short section at a time, and keep the underbody smooth so no ridges show through the pearl.

A coiled leader, tippet spools and an open fly box on slate

Rigging

Tippet
5Xhook size divided by three
Leader
Nine feet, tapered — longer and finer in flat water
  • Rig on 5X or 6X tippet with a long, supple leader for clean drifts.
  • Dress the hackle and tails lightly with floatant; keep it off the tinsel body.
  • Fish it dead drift; a tiny twitch near the end can wake a lazy rise.

Where and when

Hatch
General mayfly hatches, typically late spring through summer afternoons
Target
Trout
Water type
Smooth runs, glides and slow pools on trout streams
Also fishes
Also worth a drift on spring creeks and lake margins when mayflies are on, or as a bright searching dry on overcast days.

Make it yourself

Intermediate5 materials · 11 steps

Style
Dry fly
Hook
Dry-fly hooksize 14
Thread
Brown 8/0
Fly-tying materials laid out on a dark bench

Materials in the order they go on the hook

  1. TailDun hackle fibers
  2. BodyYellow, pink and pearl flat tinsel
  3. ThoraxGrey-brown hare's ear dubbing
  4. HackleDun rooster hackle
  5. HeadBrown thread

Details

Imitates
Mayfly
Colors
Yellow, Pink, Pearl, Dun, Grey-brown
A fly-tying vise holding a bare hook on a wooden bench

How to tie it

The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (11)
  1. Mount the size 14 dry-fly hook in the vise and start the brown 8/0 thread just behind the eye.
  2. Lay a smooth thread base back to the point above the barb.
  3. Tie in a small bunch of dun hackle fibers so the tails run about one and a half hook lengths past the bend.
  4. Tie in the yellow, pink and pearl flat tinsel at the bend and smooth the thread forward over the butts to the two-thirds mark.
  5. Wind the tinsel colours forward in tight bands, alternating yellow, pink and pearl, up to the two-thirds mark.
  6. Tie off each tinsel strand neatly and trim the tags flat.
  7. Dub a short, slightly shaggy thorax of grey-brown hare's ear, leaving room behind the eye.
  8. Tie in a dun rooster hackle by the stem, shiny side forward.
  9. Wind three or four turns of hackle through the front of the thorax, then tie off and trim.
  10. Sweep the hackle fibers back slightly with a few thread turns and build a small, neat head.
  11. Whip finish and add a drop of head cement to the thread.
Proportions (4)
  • Tail: about one and a half times the hook shank, sparse, eight to ten fibers.
  • Body: the rear two-thirds of the shank, slim and even.
  • Thorax: the front third of the shank, a little thicker than the body.
  • Hackle: fibers about two to two and a half times the hook gap.
Tips (3)
  • Keep the thread base perfectly flat before the tinsel goes on; every bump shows through pearl.
  • Stretch the tinsel slightly as you wind for tight, crisp bands.
  • Pick out the thorax with a dubbing needle so a few fibers blend into the hackle.
Common mistakes (4)
  • Tails too thick: count your fibers and keep the bunch sparse so the fly lands softly.
  • Gaps between tinsel bands: butt each turn against the last and overlap by a hair if needed.
  • Crowded eye: stop the thorax and hackle short so there is room for a clean head and whip finish.
  • Hackle too long: size the feather against the hook gap before tying it in.
A dozen-fly materials kit laid out on slate with its recipe card.
The kit

Every kit size

Materials only

Size 14 · Materials only · 12 flies

$47.05

$3.92 a fly

Includes Dry-fly hook · and 7 more

Every item in this kit · 8 items

Hooks & beads

  • Dry-fly hook$6.501 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

  • Brown 8/0 thread$2.951 spool
  • Yellow, pink and pearl flat tinsel$3.251 spool

Materials

  • Dun hackle fibers$11.951 saddle pack
  • Grey-brown hare's ear dubbing$4.501 dispenser
  • Dun rooster hackle$11.951 saddle pack

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

Size 14 · Materials only · 48 flies

$80.66

$1.68 a fly

Bought separately $84.90 · you save $4.24

Includes Dry-fly hook · and 7 more

Every item in this kit · 8 items

Hooks & beads

  • Dry-fly hook$132 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

  • Brown 8/0 thread$5.902 spools
  • Yellow, pink and pearl flat tinsel$3.251 spool

Materials

  • Dun hackle fibers$23.902 saddle packs
  • Grey-brown hare's ear dubbing$92 dispensers
  • Dun rooster hackle$23.902 saddle packs

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

Size 14 · Materials only · 144 flies

$202.22

$1.40 a fly

Bought separately $229.80 · you save $27.58

Includes Dry-fly hook · and 7 more

Every item in this kit · 8 items

Hooks & beads

  • Dry-fly hook$351 × 100 + 2 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

  • Brown 8/0 thread$17.706 spools
  • Yellow, pink and pearl flat tinsel$9.753 spools

Materials

  • Dun hackle fibers$71.706 saddle packs
  • Grey-brown hare's ear dubbing$184 dispensers
  • Dun rooster hackle$71.706 saddle packs

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

With vise & tools

Size 14 · With vise & tools · 12 flies

$197.05

$16.42 a fly

Includes Dry-fly hook · and 16 more

Every item in this kit · 17 items

Hooks & beads

  • Dry-fly hook$6.501 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

  • Brown 8/0 thread$2.951 spool
  • Yellow, pink and pearl flat tinsel$3.251 spool

Materials

  • Dun hackle fibers$11.951 saddle pack
  • Grey-brown hare's ear dubbing$4.501 dispenser
  • Dun rooster hackle$11.951 saddle pack

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Tools

  • Rotary pedestal vise$791
  • Ceramic bobbin$141
  • Fine-point scissors$161
  • Whip finisher$91
  • Hackle pliers$71
  • Bodkin$51
  • Bobbin threader$41
  • Dubbing wax$41
  • Canvas tool roll$121

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

Size 14 · With vise & tools · 48 flies

$223.16

$4.65 a fly

Bought separately $234.90 · you save $11.74

Includes Dry-fly hook · and 16 more

Every item in this kit · 17 items

Hooks & beads

  • Dry-fly hook$132 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

  • Brown 8/0 thread$5.902 spools
  • Yellow, pink and pearl flat tinsel$3.251 spool

Materials

  • Dun hackle fibers$23.902 saddle packs
  • Grey-brown hare's ear dubbing$92 dispensers
  • Dun rooster hackle$23.902 saddle packs

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Tools

  • Rotary pedestal vise$791
  • Ceramic bobbin$141
  • Fine-point scissors$161
  • Whip finisher$91
  • Hackle pliers$71
  • Bodkin$51
  • Bobbin threader$41
  • Dubbing wax$41
  • Canvas tool roll$121

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

Size 14 · With vise & tools · 144 flies

$334.22

$2.32 a fly

Bought separately $379.80 · you save $45.58

Includes Dry-fly hook · and 16 more

Every item in this kit · 17 items

Hooks & beads

  • Dry-fly hook$351 × 100 + 2 × 25 · size 14

Thread & wire

  • Brown 8/0 thread$17.706 spools
  • Yellow, pink and pearl flat tinsel$9.753 spools

Materials

  • Dun hackle fibers$71.706 saddle packs
  • Grey-brown hare's ear dubbing$184 dispensers
  • Dun rooster hackle$71.706 saddle packs

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Tools

  • Rotary pedestal vise$791
  • Ceramic bobbin$141
  • Fine-point scissors$161
  • Whip finisher$91
  • Hackle pliers$71
  • Bodkin$51
  • Bobbin threader$41
  • Dubbing wax$41
  • Canvas tool roll$121

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

The creator

An illustrated portrait for Dekasso (an illustration, not a photograph)

Dekasso

@dekasso

Wherever the truck rolls to a stop.

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How it was made

1 iteration led here; the saved one is marked

  1. Iteration 1 of 11 Saved

Remixes

5 steps back

  1. Riverstone Olive Mayfly Dun@dekasso · the original
  2. Streambed Jade Mayfly Dry Fly@dekasso
  3. Riverstone Purple Soft Hackle@dekasso
  4. Stars and Stripes Attractor Dun@dekasso
  5. Riverstone Green Yellow Mayfly Dun — a fly pattern by DekassoRiverstone Green Yellow Mayfly Dun@dekasso
  6. Sherbet Tinsel Mayfly Dunyou are here

No remixes yet — make your own version.

Where this came from

“change it so the body is a wrap of yellow, pink, and translucent tinsel”

fly pattern · made

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  • mayfly
  • dun
  • dry fly
  • tinsel body
  • yellow
  • pink
  • pearl
  • trout
  • size 14
  • hare's ear
  • dun hackle