Misty Olive Green Drake Dun
by @sunny
Green Drake Dun · Dry fly
A big olive drake lifting off misty water
A Green Drake dun dry fly on a size 10 hook, olive dubbing with a yellow rib, for trout feeding on the drake hatch.
A Green Drake dun sits upright on a size 10 dry fly hook, wings raised high over an olive body. Pheasant tail fibers form the tail, yellow floss ribs the olive dubbing, and an olive hackle collar fans out beneath dun mallard flank wings.
- Pattern
- Green Drake Dun
- Imitates
- Green Drake emergence
- When
- typically late spring into early summer, afternoon into dusk
- Hook
- size 10
- Tippet
- 3Xrule of three
- Size 10 dry fly hook
- Olive dubbed body with yellow floss rib
- Upright dun mallard flank wings
- Olive rooster hackle collar
- Long pheasant tail fiber tail
On the water
Tall dun wings stand over a plump olive body striped with yellow. Long brown tail fibers trail behind, and a loose olive hackle spreads under the thorax like legs on the film. Behind it, the river runs grey and calm under a low fog.
Cast it above a rising fish in a soft run or slow flat, mend once, and let it ride dead drift. In the last light, give it a single small twitch as it nears the feeding lane.
Mallard flank wings need a tidy tie-in. Stand the clump up with a firm dam of thread in front, then split it into two even halves so the fly lands upright and stays there.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 3Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, tapered — longer and finer in flat water
- Rig on 9 ft leader tapered to 4X; the large wings twist finer tippet.
- Fish it dead drift on the surface; dress the hackle and tail with floatant first.
- At dusk, swing it lightly at the end of the drift to suggest a dun trying to lift off.
Where and when
- Water
- West Branch of the Delaware, Catskills
- Hatch
- Green Drake emergencetypically late spring into early summer, afternoon into dusk
- Target
- Trout
- Water type
- Freestone riffles, soft runs and slow flats below them
- Also fishes
- Also useful as a big olive searching dry on overcast days, in pocket water and along grassy banks when large mayflies are about.
Also on this water
- HendricksonApr–May
- SulphurMay–Jun
- Green DrakeJun
Fished out of Hancock and Deposit.
Make it yourself
Intermediate6 materials · 11 steps
- Pattern
- Green Drake Dun
- Style
- Dry fly
- Hook
- Dry fly hooksize 10
- Thread
- Olive 6/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- TailPheasant tail fibers
- RibYellow floss
- BodyOlive dubbing
- WingMallard flank, dyed dun
- HackleOlive dyed rooster hackle
- HeadOlive 6/0 thread
Details
- Imitates
- Green Drake mayfly dun
- Colors
- Olive, Yellow, Dun, Brown
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (11)
- Mount the size 10 dry fly hook in the vise with the shank level.
- Start the olive 6/0 thread behind the eye and wrap a thin base back to the bend.
- Tie in a slim bunch of pheasant tail fibers at the bend, about one shank length long.
- Tie in the yellow floss at the bend on the far side of the hook.
- Dub a slightly tapered olive body forward over the rear two thirds of the shank.
- Wind the yellow floss forward in four or five open turns and tie it off.
- Tie in a clump of dyed dun mallard flank on top, tips forward, about one and a half gap widths tall.
- Stand the wing upright with thread wraps in front, then split it into two even halves with figure-eight wraps.
- Tie in the olive rooster hackle behind the wing, shiny side forward.
- Wrap the hackle three turns behind the wing and two in front, then tie it off.
- Build a small, neat olive thread head and whip finish.
Proportions (5)
- Tail: about one hook shank long, fibers kept in a slim bunch.
- Body: rear two thirds of the shank, tapering thicker toward the thorax.
- Wing: height about one and a half times the hook gap.
- Hackle: fibers about one and a half times the hook gap.
- Rib: four to five evenly spaced turns over the body.
Tips (4)
- Keep the dubbing thin on the thread; build bulk with more turns, not fatter noodles.
- Twist the floss flat before ribbing so each band lies smooth and bright.
- Leave bare shank in front of the wing so the head stays small and the eye clear.
- Even out wing tips before tying in so both halves match in height.
Common mistakes (4)
- Wings leaning back: add a firm thread dam in front of the clump until it stands on its own.
- Crowded eye: stop the body and hackle a little short and save room for the head.
- Ribs bunching together: space the floss turns evenly and tie off only after checking the gaps.
- Overly long tail tipping the fly: measure the fibers against the shank before the first wrap.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 10 · Materials only · 12 flies
$44.55
$3.71 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
- Olive 6/0 thread$2.95
- Yellow floss$3.25
Materials
- Pheasant tail fibers$4.95
- Olive dubbing$4.50
- Other material: Mallard flank, dyed dun$4.50
- Olive dyed rooster hackle$11.95
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 10 · Materials only · 48 flies
$75.91
$1.58 a fly
Bought separately $79.90 · you save $3.99
Includes Dry fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$5.90
- Yellow floss$3.25
Materials
- Pheasant tail fibers$9.90
- Olive dubbing$9
- Other material: Mallard flank, dyed dun$9
- Olive dyed rooster hackle$23.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 10 · Materials only · 144 flies
$180.71
$1.25 a fly
Bought separately $205.35 · you save $24.64
Includes Dry fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$17.70
- Yellow floss$9.75
Materials
- Pheasant tail fibers$24.75
- Olive dubbing$18
- Other material: Mallard flank, dyed dun$22.50
- Olive dyed rooster hackle$71.70
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 10 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$194.55
$16.21 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
- Olive 6/0 thread$2.95
- Yellow floss$3.25
Materials
- Pheasant tail fibers$4.95
- Olive dubbing$4.50
- Other material: Mallard flank, dyed dun$4.50
- Olive dyed 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 10 · With vise & tools · 48 flies
$218.41
$4.55 a fly
Bought separately $229.90 · you save $11.49
Includes Dry fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$5.90
- Yellow floss$3.25
Materials
- Pheasant tail fibers$9.90
- Olive dubbing$9
- Other material: Mallard flank, dyed dun$9
- Olive dyed 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 10 · With vise & tools · 144 flies
$312.71
$2.17 a fly
Bought separately $355.35 · you save $42.64
Includes Dry fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$17.70
- Yellow floss$9.75
Materials
- Pheasant tail fibers$24.75
- Olive dubbing$18
- Other material: Mallard flank, dyed dun$22.50
- Olive dyed 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
Remixes
No remixes yet — make your own version.
Where this came from
fly pattern · made
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- green drake
- dry fly
- mayfly
- dun
- olive
- yellow rib
- mallard flank
- trout
- hatch
- fly tying
- size 10
- dusk