Back

Evening Ember Sulphur Mayfly Dun

by @dekasso

Evening Ember Sulphur Mayfly Dun — a fly pattern by Dekasso
More by @dekasso

Sulphur Dun · Dry fly

A warm spark on dusky water

A sulphur mayfly dun dry fly in yellowish orange, size 16, for trout rising to the evening sulphur hatch.

A sulphur mayfly dun in warm yellowish orange, with a tall fluffy wing and a split barred tail. The body is orange floss banded with brown thread, finished with orange CDC, hackle and a small dubbed thorax.

Pattern
Sulphur Dun
Imitates
Sulphur mayfly hatch
When
typically late-spring and early-summer evenings
Hook
size 16
Tippet
5Xrule of three
  • Split barred coq de leon tail
  • Orange floss body with brown rib
  • Upright orange CDC wing
  • Size 16 dry-fly hook
  • Tied for evening sulphur hatches

On the water

A dry fly riding the surface of a trout river

Orange floss glows under thin brown bands, and the wing stands up like a small flame. Long barred tail fibers fan out behind, speckled gold and rust against the grey slate.

Fish it on the soft glides and flat pools when sulphurs start coming off near dusk. Cast above the rise, let it drift without drag, and keep the line off the fish's window.

CDC is the part to treat with care. Pinch in a few feathers for the wing, keep floatant paste off it, and dry it with a powder so the fibers stay airy.

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 9 to 12 feet of leader tapering to 6X tippet for flat, clear water.
  • Present it downstream with a reach cast so the fly reaches the fish before the tippet.
  • Dry the CDC with powder between fish rather than paste floatant.

Where and when

Hatch
Sulphur mayfly hatchtypically late-spring and early-summer evenings
Target
Brown trout, Rainbow trout
Water type
Slow pools, smooth glides and spring creeks
Also fishes
Also drifts well over pale morning dun and light cahill hatches, and as a searching dry on calm pocket water in summer.

Make it yourself

Intermediate7 materials · 11 steps

Pattern
Sulphur Dun
Style
Dry fly
Hook
Tiemco TMC 100 dry flysize 16
Thread
Orange 8/0
Fly-tying materials laid out on a dark bench

Materials in the order they go on the hook

  1. TailBarred coq de leon fibers, split
  2. RibBrown 6/0 thread
  3. BodySulphur orange floss
  4. WingSulphur orange CDC feathers
  5. HackleDyed sulphur orange rooster hackle
  6. ThoraxOrange superfine dubbing
  7. HeadOrange 8/0 thread

Details

Imitates
Sulphur mayfly dun
Colors
Yellowish orange, Golden yellow, Rust 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 hook and start the orange thread behind the eye, wrapping a thin base to the bend.
  2. Build a tiny thread bump at the bend, then tie in coq de leon fibers on each side so they split around it, about one shank length long.
  3. Tie in the brown rib thread at the bend and let it hang.
  4. Tie in the orange floss and wrap a smooth, slightly tapered body over the rear two thirds of the shank.
  5. Spiral the brown rib forward in five or six even turns and tie it off.
  6. Stack two or three orange CDC feathers, tie them in upright at the two-thirds point, wing height about one shank length.
  7. Prop the wing upright with a few thread wraps in front of it.
  8. Tie in the orange rooster hackle by the stem, shiny side forward, fibers about one and a half times the hook gap.
  9. Dub a small orange thorax around the base of the wing.
  10. Wrap the hackle three or four turns through the thorax and tie it off behind the eye.
  11. Form a small neat orange head, whip finish and trim the thread.
Proportions (5)
  • Tail: split fibers about one shank length, fanned at a slight angle.
  • Body: floss and rib cover the rear two thirds of the shank.
  • Wing: CDC height roughly equal to the shank length.
  • Hackle: fibers about one and a half times the hook gap.
  • Thorax: a small ball, no wider than the body's thickest point.
Tips (4)
  • Flatten the floss by untwisting the bobbin so the body lies smooth and glossy.
  • Keep the rib wraps evenly spaced for clean segmentation.
  • Use only three or four hackle turns so the fly sits low on the film.
  • Moisten your fingers slightly to gather CDC fibers into a tidy bunch.
Common mistakes (4)
  • Tail fibers bunched together: use a firm thread bump at the bend to split them evenly.
  • Lumpy floss body: wrap thin layers and keep tension steady.
  • Wing leaning back: add a few figure-eight wraps in front to stand it up.
  • Crowded eye: leave a hook-eye width bare before wrapping the hackle.
A dozen-fly materials kit laid out on slate with its recipe card.
The kit

Every kit size

Materials only

Size 16 · Materials only · 12 flies

$51.05

$4.25 a fly

Includes Tiemco TMC 100 dry fly · and 9 more

Every item in this kit · 10 items

Hooks & beads

  • Tiemco TMC 100 dry fly$6.501 × 25 · size 16

Thread & wire

  • Orange 8/0 thread$2.951 spool
  • Brown 6/0 thread$3.251 spool

Materials

  • Other material: Barred coq de leon fibers, split$4.501 pack · From the recipe row "Tail"
  • Other material: Sulphur orange floss$4.501 pack · From the recipe row "Body"
  • Sulphur orange CDC feathers$6.951 pack
  • Dyed sulphur orange rooster hackle$11.951 saddle pack
  • Orange superfine dubbing$4.501 dispenser

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

Size 16 · Materials only · 48 flies

$94.86

$1.98 a fly

Bought separately $99.85 · you save $4.99

Includes Tiemco TMC 100 dry fly · and 9 more

Every item in this kit · 10 items

Hooks & beads

  • Tiemco TMC 100 dry fly$132 × 25 · size 16

Thread & wire

  • Orange 8/0 thread$5.902 spools
  • Brown 6/0 thread$3.251 spool

Materials

  • Other material: Barred coq de leon fibers, split$92 packs · From the recipe row "Tail"
  • Other material: Sulphur orange floss$92 packs · From the recipe row "Body"
  • Sulphur orange CDC feathers$20.853 packs
  • Dyed sulphur orange rooster hackle$23.902 saddle packs
  • Orange superfine dubbing$92 dispensers

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

Size 16 · Materials only · 144 flies

$227.66

$1.58 a fly

Bought separately $258.70 · you save $31.04

Includes Tiemco TMC 100 dry fly · and 9 more

Every item in this kit · 10 items

Hooks & beads

  • Tiemco TMC 100 dry fly$351 × 100 + 2 × 25 · size 16

Thread & wire

  • Orange 8/0 thread$17.706 spools
  • Brown 6/0 thread$9.753 spools

Materials

  • Other material: Barred coq de leon fibers, split$22.505 packs · From the recipe row "Tail"
  • Other material: Sulphur orange floss$22.505 packs · From the recipe row "Body"
  • Sulphur orange CDC feathers$55.608 packs
  • Dyed sulphur orange rooster hackle$71.706 saddle packs
  • Orange superfine dubbing$184 dispensers

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

With vise & tools

Size 16 · With vise & tools · 12 flies

$201.05

$16.75 a fly

Includes Tiemco TMC 100 dry fly · and 18 more

Every item in this kit · 19 items

Hooks & beads

  • Tiemco TMC 100 dry fly$6.501 × 25 · size 16

Thread & wire

  • Orange 8/0 thread$2.951 spool
  • Brown 6/0 thread$3.251 spool

Materials

  • Other material: Barred coq de leon fibers, split$4.501 pack · From the recipe row "Tail"
  • Other material: Sulphur orange floss$4.501 pack · From the recipe row "Body"
  • Sulphur orange CDC feathers$6.951 pack
  • Dyed sulphur orange rooster hackle$11.951 saddle pack
  • Orange superfine dubbing$4.501 dispenser

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 16 · With vise & tools · 48 flies

$237.36

$4.95 a fly

Bought separately $249.85 · you save $12.49

Includes Tiemco TMC 100 dry fly · and 18 more

Every item in this kit · 19 items

Hooks & beads

  • Tiemco TMC 100 dry fly$132 × 25 · size 16

Thread & wire

  • Orange 8/0 thread$5.902 spools
  • Brown 6/0 thread$3.251 spool

Materials

  • Other material: Barred coq de leon fibers, split$92 packs · From the recipe row "Tail"
  • Other material: Sulphur orange floss$92 packs · From the recipe row "Body"
  • Sulphur orange CDC feathers$20.853 packs
  • Dyed sulphur orange rooster hackle$23.902 saddle packs
  • Orange superfine dubbing$92 dispensers

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 16 · With vise & tools · 144 flies

$359.66

$2.50 a fly

Bought separately $408.70 · you save $49.04

Includes Tiemco TMC 100 dry fly · and 18 more

Every item in this kit · 19 items

Hooks & beads

  • Tiemco TMC 100 dry fly$351 × 100 + 2 × 25 · size 16

Thread & wire

  • Orange 8/0 thread$17.706 spools
  • Brown 6/0 thread$9.753 spools

Materials

  • Other material: Barred coq de leon fibers, split$22.505 packs · From the recipe row "Tail"
  • Other material: Sulphur orange floss$22.505 packs · From the recipe row "Body"
  • Sulphur orange CDC feathers$55.608 packs
  • Dyed sulphur orange rooster hackle$71.706 saddle packs
  • Orange superfine dubbing$184 dispensers

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.

  • Tidewater Sundown Pale Ale — a river beer by Dekasso
  • Prairie Wildflower Portrait Trucker Hat — a trucker hat by Dekasso
  • Ember Golden Stonefly Nymph — a fly pattern by Dekasso

See everything by @dekasso

How it was made

1 iteration led here; the saved one is marked

  1. Iteration 1 of 11 Saved

Remixes

2 steps back

  1. Slate Ledge Grizzly Soft Hackle@dekasso · the original
  2. Grizzly Half Hackle Mayfly Dun — a fly pattern by DekassoGrizzly Half Hackle Mayfly Dun@dekasso
  3. Evening Ember Sulphur Mayfly Dunyou are here

2 remixes of this

Violet Floss CDC Mayfly Dun — a fly pattern by Dekasso@dekassoThistledown CDC Olive Mayfly Dun — a fly pattern by Dekasso@dekasso

Where this came from

“shift the colors to a yellowish orange”

fly pattern · made

2 remixes

50 — from 2 remixes, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.

  • sulphur
  • mayfly
  • dun
  • dry fly
  • cdc
  • orange
  • split tail
  • coq de leon
  • trout
  • evening hatch
  • size 16
  • spring creek