Yellow Belly Olive Mayfly Dun
by @dekasso
Dry fly
Olive and gold drifting through lavender dusk
A slim two-tone mayfly dun in olive and yellow, size 14, for trout rising to duns on rivers.
A slim mayfly dun with an olive back over a bright yellow belly, crowned by tall grey wings. Fine silver wire segments the two-tone body, and long brown fibers form the splayed tail and sparse hackle.
- Imitates
- Olive and yellow mayfly duns, typically late spring and early summer afternoons
- Hook
- size 14
- Tippet
- 5Xrule of three
- Olive back over a yellow underbody
- Silver wire rib segments the body
- Grey mallard quill wings stand upright
- Long splayed brown hackle-fiber tail
- Size 14 dry-fly hook
On the water
Olive on top, yellow underneath, and a thin silver rib stitching the two together. Grey quill wings stand tall and lean back. A long brown tail fans out behind like whiskers.
Fish it on the surface when duns are riding the current and trout are sipping. Cast above the rise, mend once, and let it float drag-free through the seam. The yellow belly is the side the fish sees.
Olive Antron yarn makes the back. Pull it tight and centered over the dubbed body before the wire goes on, so each wrap of silver pinches the olive down into clean segments.
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 leader for flat, clear water.
- Dress the hackle and wing with floatant so it rides high through the drift.
- Cast a few feet above the rise and mend to keep the drift free of drag.
Where and when
- Hatch
- Olive and yellow mayfly duns, typically late spring and early summer afternoons
- Target
- Trout
- Water type
- Riffles, smooth glides and slow pools on rivers
- Also fishes
- Also fishes well on slow flats and stillwater margins in calm evening light when single duns drift and trout cruise.
Make it yourself
Intermediate7 materials · 10 steps
- Style
- Dry fly
- Hook
- Standard dry-fly hooksize 14
- Thread
- Brown 8/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- TailBrown hackle fibers
- RibSilver wire
- BackOlive Antron yarn
- BodyYellow dubbing
- WingGrey mallard quill slips
- HackleBrown rooster hackle
- HeadBrown thread
Details
- Imitates
- Mayfly
- Colors
- Olive, Yellow, Silver, Brown, Grey
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (10)
- Mount the hook in the vise and start the brown thread behind the eye, then wrap a smooth base to the bend.
- Tie in a bunch of brown hackle fibers for the tail, about one shank long, and let them splay slightly.
- Tie in the silver wire at the bend, leaving it trailing to the rear.
- Tie in a strand of olive Antron yarn on top of the shank at the bend, pointing rearward.
- Dub a thin, gently tapered yellow body forward to about three quarters of the shank.
- Pull the olive yarn tight over the top of the body and tie it off in front of the dubbing, then trim.
- Wrap the silver wire forward in five or six evenly spaced turns, tie it off and trim the tag.
- Match two grey mallard quill slips, tie them on top as an upright wing angled back, roughly one shank long.
- Tie in the brown rooster hackle and wrap two or three turns, letting the long fibers sweep down and back.
- Build a small, neat tapered head with the thread and whip finish.
Proportions (4)
- Tail: about one hook shank long, fibers slightly splayed.
- Body: slim, ending three quarters up the shank to leave room for wing and hackle.
- Wing: roughly one shank long, upright and swept slightly back.
- Hackle fibers: about one and a half times the hook gap, kept sparse.
Tips (4)
- Use very little yellow dubbing; a thin body shows the olive and yellow split far better.
- Keep the olive yarn centered on top so the yellow shows evenly along both sides.
- Pair the quill slips from matching left and right feathers so the wing sits straight.
- Space the silver wire turns evenly to make crisp, regular segments.
Common mistakes (4)
- Overdubbing the body hides the split colours; twist on less dubbing than feels right.
- Loose olive yarn rolls to one side; hold it firmly on top while tying off.
- Crowding the eye leaves no room for the head; stop the body at three quarters of the shank.
- Too many hackle turns make it bushy; two or three wraps are enough.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 14 · Materials only · 12 flies
$55.05
$4.59 a fly
Includes Standard dry-fly hook · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 10 items
Hooks & beads
- Standard dry-fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Brown 8/0 thread$2.95
- Silver wire$3.25
Materials
- Brown hackle fibers$11.95
- Olive Antron yarn$3.50
- Yellow dubbing$4.50
- Other material: Grey mallard quill slips$4.50
- Brown rooster hackle$11.95
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 14 · Materials only · 48 flies
$92.53
$1.93 a fly
Bought separately $97.40 · you save $4.87
Includes Standard dry-fly hook · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 10 items
Hooks & beads
- Standard dry-fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Brown 8/0 thread$5.90
- Silver wire$3.25
Materials
- Brown hackle fibers$23.90
- Olive Antron yarn$3.50
- Yellow dubbing$9
- Other material: Grey mallard quill slips$9
- Brown rooster hackle$23.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 14 · Materials only · 144 flies
$231.26
$1.61 a fly
Bought separately $262.80 · you save $31.54
Includes Standard dry-fly hook · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 10 items
Hooks & beads
- Standard dry-fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Brown 8/0 thread$17.70
- Silver wire$9.75
Materials
- Brown hackle fibers$71.70
- Olive Antron yarn$10.50
- Yellow dubbing$18
- Other material: Grey mallard quill slips$22.50
- Brown rooster hackle$71.70
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 14 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$205.05
$17.09 a fly
Includes Standard dry-fly hook · and 18 more
Every item in this kit · 19 items
Hooks & beads
- Standard dry-fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Brown 8/0 thread$2.95
- Silver wire$3.25
Materials
- Brown hackle fibers$11.95
- Olive Antron yarn$3.50
- Yellow dubbing$4.50
- Other material: Grey mallard quill slips$4.50
- Brown 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 14 · With vise & tools · 48 flies
$235.03
$4.90 a fly
Bought separately $247.40 · you save $12.37
Includes Standard dry-fly hook · and 18 more
Every item in this kit · 19 items
Hooks & beads
- Standard dry-fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Brown 8/0 thread$5.90
- Silver wire$3.25
Materials
- Brown hackle fibers$23.90
- Olive Antron yarn$3.50
- Yellow dubbing$9
- Other material: Grey mallard quill slips$9
- Brown 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 14 · With vise & tools · 144 flies
$363.26
$2.52 a fly
Bought separately $412.80 · you save $49.54
Includes Standard dry-fly hook · and 18 more
Every item in this kit · 19 items
Hooks & beads
- Standard dry-fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Brown 8/0 thread$17.70
- Silver wire$9.75
Materials
- Brown hackle fibers$71.70
- Olive Antron yarn$10.50
- Yellow dubbing$18
- Other material: Grey mallard quill slips$22.50
- Brown 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
2 steps back
- River Mist Green Drake Dun@john · the original
- Yellow Belly Olive Mayfly Dunyou are here
No remixes yet — make your own version.
Where this came from
“Make the body thinner and change top color to green and bottom color to yellow”
fly pattern · made
1 save
8 — from 1 save, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- mayfly
- dun
- dry fly
- olive
- yellow
- split body
- silver rib
- mallard quill
- trout
- size 14