Dry fly
Jade body over a bright pebble bed
A slender size 14 mayfly dry fly in jade floss and dun hackle, tied for trout rising to mayflies in clear riffles and runs.
A slim mayfly dry fly with a split tail, a banded jade body and a swept dun hackle. The body is green floss silk ribbed with fine silver wire, finished with a grey rabbit thorax.
- Imitates
- Olive-bodied mayfly hatches, typically spring through early summer afternoons
- Hook
- size 14
- Tippet
- 5Xrule of three
- Green floss silk body, silver wire rib
- Split microfibbet tail for balance
- Grey rabbit thorax under dun hackle
- Size 14 dry fly hook
- Slim profile of a mayfly dun
On the water
Jade floss wraps the shank in smooth, even bands, each one cut by a thin silver line of wire. Long, pale tails flare out behind, and a tuft of grey rabbit sits under a fan of dun hackle near the eye.
Fish it in clear riffles and soft runs when mayflies come off in the afternoon. Cast up and across, mend once, and let it ride the seam without drag. A short, quiet drift over the tail of a run is where it earns its keep.
Floss silk wants a flat, untwisted strand. Spin the bobbin to open it up before each pass, and the body lays down glassy and thin, with the rib sitting neatly in the grooves.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 5Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, tapered — longer and finer in flat water
- Rig on 5X or 6X tippet for a natural drift in clear water.
- Dress the hackle and tail with floatant; keep it off the floss body.
- Dead-drift along seams and foam lines, mending early to avoid drag.
Where and when
- Hatch
- Olive-bodied mayfly hatches, typically spring through early summer afternoons
- Target
- Trout
- Water type
- Riffles, runs and clear freestone flats
- Also fishes
- Also fishes slow glides and spring creeks, and can be swung just under the film as a drowned dun once it soaks up water.
Make it yourself
Intermediate6 materials · 10 steps
- Style
- Dry fly
- Hook
- Dry fly hooksize 14
- Thread
- Grey 8/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- TailLight dun microfibbets
- RibFine silver wire
- BodyGreen floss silk
- ThoraxGrey rabbit dubbing
- HackleDun cock hackle
- HeadGrey thread
Details
- Imitates
- Mayfly
- Colors
- Jade green, Silver, Dun grey, Bronze
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (10)
- Mount the hook in the vise and start the grey thread behind the eye, wrapping a smooth base to above the barb.
- Tie in two or three microfibbets on each side, split with a thread wrap, about one shank length long.
- Tie in the silver wire at the tail and leave it hanging.
- Tie in the floss silk and wrap thread forward to two-thirds of the shank, keeping the underbody flat.
- Wrap the floss forward in flat, touching turns to build a slim, slightly tapered body and tie it off.
- Counter-wrap the silver wire in five to six evenly spaced turns and tie off; snip the tag.
- Dub a thin noodle of grey rabbit and wrap a small thorax, leaving room behind the eye.
- Prepare a dun cock hackle with fibres one and a half times the hook gape and tie it in by the stem.
- Wrap the hackle three or four turns through the front of the thorax, tie off and trim the tip.
- Build a neat, small thread head and whip finish.
Proportions (4)
- Tail: about one shank length, split into a clear V.
- Body: rear two-thirds of the shank, slim with a gentle taper.
- Hackle fibres: roughly one and a half times the hook gape.
- Thorax: front third of the shank, only slightly wider than the body.
Tips (4)
- Keep the underbody perfectly smooth; floss shows every bump beneath it.
- Wrap the wire opposite to the floss so it bites and protects the body.
- Use a fine dubbing noodle; a sparse thorax keeps the fly floating level.
- Leave a clean gap behind the eye so the head stays small.
Common mistakes (4)
- Fraying the floss on rough fingers. Smooth your fingertips and handle it lightly.
- Tails too short or bunched. Split them with a thread figure-eight for balance.
- Crowding the eye with hackle. Measure the space before tying in the stem.
- Overdressing the thorax. Add dubbing a pinch at a time.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 14 · Materials only · 12 flies
$43.10
$3.59 a fly
Includes Dry fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Grey 8/0 thread$2.95
- Fine silver wire$3.25
Materials
- Light dun microfibbets$3.50
- Other material: Green floss silk$4.50
- Grey rabbit dubbing$4.50
- Dun cock hackle$11.95
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 14 · Materials only · 48 flies
$69.83
$1.45 a fly
Bought separately $73.50 · you save $3.67
Includes Dry fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Grey 8/0 thread$5.90
- Fine silver wire$3.25
Materials
- Light dun microfibbets$3.50
- Other material: Green floss silk$9
- Grey rabbit dubbing$9
- Dun cock hackle$23.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 14 · Materials only · 144 flies
$168.17
$1.17 a fly
Bought separately $191.10 · you save $22.93
Includes Dry fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Grey 8/0 thread$17.70
- Fine silver wire$9.75
Materials
- Light dun microfibbets$10.50
- Other material: Green floss silk$22.50
- Grey rabbit dubbing$18
- Dun cock hackle$71.70
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 14 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$193.10
$16.09 a fly
Includes Dry fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Grey 8/0 thread$2.95
- Fine silver wire$3.25
Materials
- Light dun microfibbets$3.50
- Other material: Green floss silk$4.50
- Grey rabbit dubbing$4.50
- Dun cock 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 14 · With vise & tools · 48 flies
$212.33
$4.42 a fly
Bought separately $223.50 · you save $11.17
Includes Dry fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Grey 8/0 thread$5.90
- Fine silver wire$3.25
Materials
- Light dun microfibbets$3.50
- Other material: Green floss silk$9
- Grey rabbit dubbing$9
- Dun cock 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 14 · With vise & tools · 144 flies
$300.17
$2.08 a fly
Bought separately $341.10 · you save $40.93
Includes Dry fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Grey 8/0 thread$17.70
- Fine silver wire$9.75
Materials
- Light dun microfibbets$10.50
- Other material: Green floss silk$22.50
- Grey rabbit dubbing$18
- Dun cock 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
Remixed from
- Streambed Jade Mayfly Dry Flyyou are here
1 remix of this
Where this came from
“make the body more greenish”
fly pattern · made
1 remix
25 — from 1 remix, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- mayfly
- dry fly
- floss body
- silk
- silver rib
- dun hackle
- split tail
- trout
- jade
- size 14