Pine Mist PMD Comparadun
by @john
Comparadun · Dry fly
Mist lifting off flat water
A size 16 PMD comparadun with a fanned deer hair wing and split tails, for trout sipping Pale Morning Duns on slow water.
A Pale Morning Dun comparadun sits in the vise above a misty lake ringed with pines, its tan wing fanned wide. The body is pale olive dubbing, with coastal deer hair for the wing and light dun Microfibbets splayed at the tail.
- Pattern
- Comparadun
- Imitates
- Pale Morning Dun hatch, typically late morning to midday from June into August
- Hook
- size 16
- Tippet
- 5Xrule of three
- Fanned deer hair wing, no hackle
- Split Microfibbet tails for balance
- Pale olive body sits in the film
- Size 16 for Pale Morning Duns
- Dry fly for slow, clear water
On the water
A half-moon of tan deer hair stands over a slim, fuzzy olive body. Long dun tails split wide behind it. Beyond the vise, fog drifts over still water and the pines sit upside down in the reflection.
Fish it where trout sip quietly: a spring-creek flat, the tail of a glide, a calm lake edge when the duns come off. The body rides low in the film and the wing stays up. Cast above the rise and let it drift dead, with no drag.
Splitting the tails matters most. A small dubbing ball at the bend pushes the Microfibbets apart, and those outriggers keep the fly upright and balanced on the surface.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 5Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, tapered — longer and finer in flat water
- Use 5X to 6X tippet and a long leader for smooth drifts over wary fish.
- Dress the wing lightly with floatant and keep the body low in the film.
- Work a reach cast or downstream drift so the fly arrives ahead of the leader.
Where and when
- Water
- Henry's Fork of the Snake, Eastern Idaho
- Hatch
- Pale Morning Dun hatch, typically late morning to midday from June into August
- Target
- Trout
- Water type
- Slow glides, spring-creek flats and calm stillwater edges
- Also fishes
- Also covers other small pale mayflies, such as sulphurs, on spring creeks, tailwaters and calm lake margins.
Also on this water
- Green DrakeJun
- Pale Morning DunJun–Jul
- Brown DrakeJun
- TricoAug–Sep
Fished out of Last Chance, Island Park and Ashton.
Make it yourself
Intermediate4 materials · 9 steps
- Pattern
- Comparadun
- Style
- Dry fly
- Hook
- Tiemco 100 dry flysize 16
- Thread
- Pale olive 8/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- WingCoastal deer hair
- TailLight dun Microfibbets
- BodyPale olive superfine dubbing
- ThoraxPale olive superfine dubbing
Details
- Imitates
- Pale Morning Dun
- Colors
- Pale olive, Tan, Light dun
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (9)
- Mount the hook and lay a thread base from just behind the eye to the bend.
- Clean and stack a pencil-thin bunch of coastal deer hair. Tie it in a third of the way back from the eye, tips forward, wing length equal to the hook shank.
- Trim the butts at a taper and cover them with smooth thread wraps toward the bend.
- Dub a tiny ball of olive dubbing right at the bend.
- Tie in two or three Microfibbets on each side so they press against the ball and splay apart, about one shank length long.
- Dub a slim, tapered body forward to just behind the wing.
- Lift the wing upright with thread wraps in front, then fan the hair into a 180-degree half circle.
- Dub the thorax with figure-eight wraps behind and in front of the wing base, slightly fuller than the body.
- Form a small, neat thread head and whip finish.
Proportions (4)
- Wing: as tall as the hook shank is long, fanned in a half circle across the top.
- Tail: about one shank length, each side splayed outward at a wide angle.
- Body: slim and tapered, thickening only slightly at the thorax.
- Wing position: one third of the shank back from the eye.
Tips (3)
- Pick fine, short-tipped coastal deer hair; it flares less and makes a crisp fan.
- Keep the dubbing ball at the bend small so the tails split without looking bulky.
- Use light thread pressure on the first wing wraps, then tighten once the hair is placed.
Common mistakes (3)
- Wing tied too far back crowds the eye; mark one third of the shank before tying in.
- Too much hair builds a heavy fly that tips over; start with less than you think.
- Tails tied on top instead of the sides will not balance it; set each bunch against the dubbing ball.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 16 · Materials only · 12 flies
$28.90
$2.41 a fly
Includes Tiemco 100 dry fly · and 6 more
Every item in this kit · 7 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 100 dry fly$6.50
Thread & wire
- Pale olive 8/0 thread$2.95
Materials
- Coastal deer hair$5.50
- Light dun Microfibbets$3.50
- Pale olive superfine dubbing$4.50
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 16 · Materials only · 48 flies
$47.41
$0.99 a fly
Bought separately $49.90 · you save $2.49
Includes Tiemco 100 dry fly · and 6 more
Every item in this kit · 7 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 100 dry fly$13
Thread & wire
- Pale olive 8/0 thread$2.95
Materials
- Coastal deer hair$11
- Light dun Microfibbets$3.50
- Pale olive superfine dubbing$13.50
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 16 · Materials only · 144 flies
$104.10
$0.72 a fly
Bought separately $118.30 · you save $14.20
Includes Tiemco 100 dry fly · and 6 more
Every item in this kit · 7 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 100 dry fly$35
Thread & wire
- Pale olive 8/0 thread$8.85
Materials
- Coastal deer hair$22
- Light dun Microfibbets$10.50
- Pale olive superfine dubbing$36
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 16 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$178.90
$14.91 a fly
Includes Tiemco 100 dry fly · and 15 more
Every item in this kit · 16 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 100 dry fly$6.50
Thread & wire
- Pale olive 8/0 thread$2.95
Materials
- Coastal deer hair$5.50
- Light dun Microfibbets$3.50
- Pale olive superfine dubbing$4.50
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
$189.91
$3.96 a fly
Bought separately $199.90 · you save $9.99
Includes Tiemco 100 dry fly · and 15 more
Every item in this kit · 16 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 100 dry fly$13
Thread & wire
- Pale olive 8/0 thread$2.95
Materials
- Coastal deer hair$11
- Light dun Microfibbets$3.50
- Pale olive superfine dubbing$13.50
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
$236.10
$1.64 a fly
Bought separately $268.30 · you save $32.20
Includes Tiemco 100 dry fly · and 15 more
Every item in this kit · 16 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 100 dry fly$35
Thread & wire
- Pale olive 8/0 thread$8.85
Materials
- Coastal deer hair$22
- Light dun Microfibbets$10.50
- Pale olive superfine dubbing$36
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
Remixes
1 remix of this
Where this came from
fly pattern · made
1 remix
25 — from 1 remix, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- pmd
- pale morning dun
- comparadun
- dry fly
- mayfly
- deer hair
- trout
- spring creek
- size 16
- olive