Riverstone Green Yellow Mayfly Dun
by @dekasso
Dry fly
Stripes of colour over sunlit river stones
A slender mayfly dun dry fly on a size 14 hook, banded green and yellow, with hackle on top only, for trout during mayfly hatches.
A slim mayfly dun with a banded green and yellow body and a half collar of dun hackle riding above it. Green floss, yellow floss and fine silver wire make the stripes, with long dun tail fibers trailing behind.
- Imitates
- Olive-bodied mayfly duns
- When
- typically spring and summer afternoons
- Hook
- size 14
- Tippet
- 5Xrule of three
- Banded green and yellow floss body
- Silver wire edges every stripe
- Dun hackle sits above the body only
- Long sparse dun tail fibers
- Size 14 dry fly hook
On the water
Bright green and yellow bands run down a thin body, each stripe edged with a line of silver. A spray of dun hackle stands up over a shaggy grey thorax, and long pale tail fibers stretch out behind like a dun's own tails.
Fish it in riffles and soft runs when duns are on the water. With hackle only above the body, it sits low in the film, so cast upstream and let it drift drag-free over the stones.
The half hackle is the detail to get right. Wrap the dun saddle through the thorax, then trim the fibers flat underneath so every one points up and the body rests on the surface.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 5Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, tapered — longer and finer in flat water
- Use 5X or 6X tippet and a light floatant on the hackle and tail only.
- Dead-drift it on the surface; mend early so the fly never drags.
- Grease the leader near the fly to keep the low body riding in the film.
Where and when
- Hatch
- Olive-bodied mayfly dunstypically spring and summer afternoons
- Target
- Trout
- Water type
- Riffles, runs and clear freestone flats
- Also fishes
- Slow glides and spring creeks where trout sip low-riding duns, and as a searching dry over pocket water between hatches.
Make it yourself
Intermediate7 materials · 10 steps
- Style
- Dry fly
- Hook
- Dry fly hooksize 14
- Thread
- Olive 8/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- TailDun hackle fibers
- RibYellow floss
- RibSilver wire
- BodyGreen floss
- ThoraxGrey hare's ear dubbing
- HackleDun rooster saddle
- HeadOlive 8/0 thread
Details
- Imitates
- Mayfly
- Colors
- Green, Yellow, Silver, Dun grey
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (10)
- Mount the hook and start olive 8/0 thread behind the eye, laying a smooth base back to the bend.
- Tie in a sparse bunch of dun hackle fibers at the bend for the tail, about one shank length long.
- Tie in yellow floss and silver wire at the bend, letting both hang behind.
- Tie in green floss and wrap a thin, even body forward to about 70 percent of the shank, then tie off.
- Wrap the yellow floss forward in open, evenly spaced bands over the green and tie off.
- Wrap the silver wire forward tight beside each yellow band and tie off.
- Dub a thin noodle of grey hare's ear and build a small, slightly shaggy thorax.
- Tie in a dun rooster saddle by the stem and wrap three or four turns through the thorax.
- Tie off the hackle, then trim the fibers flat underneath so all the hackle stands above the body.
- Build a small, neat thread head, whip finish and add a drop of head cement.
Proportions (4)
- Tail: about one shank length, kept sparse.
- Body: thin and even, covering the rear 70 percent of the shank.
- Hackle fibers: roughly one and a half times the hook gap, standing above the body.
- Thorax: the front 30 percent of the shank, slightly wider than the body.
Tips (4)
- Flatten the floss by untwisting it as you wrap so the bands stay crisp and thin.
- Keep the yellow bands evenly spaced; two or three green gaps look cleaner than many.
- Trim the hackle underneath with fine scissors held parallel to the shank for a flat bottom.
- Choose stiff tail fibers so they help prop the fly up on the water.
Common mistakes (4)
- A fat body from too many floss layers; wrap the green once forward and tie off.
- Floss fraying on the hook point; smooth rough fingertips and keep the floss short.
- Hackle left under the body tips the fly; trim it fully flat below the shank.
- Crowding the eye with thorax dubbing; leave a clear space for the head and whip finish.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 14 · Materials only · 12 flies
$54.80
$4.57 a fly
Includes Dry fly hook · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 10 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$2.95
- Yellow floss$3.25
- Silver wire$3.25
Materials
- Dun hackle fibers$11.95
- Other material: Green floss$4.50
- Grey hare's ear dubbing$4.50
- Dun rooster saddle$11.95
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 14 · Materials only · 48 flies
$92.29
$1.92 a fly
Bought separately $97.15 · you save $4.86
Includes Dry fly hook · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 10 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$5.90
- Yellow floss$3.25
- Silver wire$3.25
Materials
- Dun hackle fibers$23.90
- Other material: Green floss$9
- Grey hare's ear dubbing$9
- Dun rooster saddle$23.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 14 · Materials only · 144 flies
$230.60
$1.60 a fly
Bought separately $262.05 · you save $31.45
Includes Dry fly hook · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 10 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$17.70
- Yellow floss$9.75
- Silver wire$9.75
Materials
- Dun hackle fibers$71.70
- Other material: Green floss$22.50
- Grey hare's ear dubbing$18
- Dun rooster saddle$71.70
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 14 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$204.80
$17.07 a fly
Includes Dry fly hook · and 18 more
Every item in this kit · 19 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$2.95
- Yellow floss$3.25
- Silver wire$3.25
Materials
- Dun hackle fibers$11.95
- Other material: Green floss$4.50
- Grey hare's ear dubbing$4.50
- Dun rooster saddle$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
$234.79
$4.89 a fly
Bought separately $247.15 · you save $12.36
Includes Dry fly hook · and 18 more
Every item in this kit · 19 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$5.90
- Yellow floss$3.25
- Silver wire$3.25
Materials
- Dun hackle fibers$23.90
- Other material: Green floss$9
- Grey hare's ear dubbing$9
- Dun rooster saddle$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
$362.60
$2.52 a fly
Bought separately $412.05 · you save $49.45
Includes Dry fly hook · and 18 more
Every item in this kit · 19 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$17.70
- Yellow floss$9.75
- Silver wire$9.75
Materials
- Dun hackle fibers$71.70
- Other material: Green floss$22.50
- Grey hare's ear dubbing$18
- Dun rooster saddle$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
2 iterations led here; the saved one is marked
1
2 Saved
Remixes
4 steps back
- Riverstone Olive Mayfly Dun@dekasso · the original
- Streambed Jade Mayfly Dry Fly@dekasso
- Riverstone Purple Soft Hackle@dekasso
- Riverstone Green Yellow Mayfly Dunyou are here
1 remix of this
Where this came from
“make it 1/2 hackle so there is only hackle above the body. make the body thinner.”
fly pattern · made
1 remix
25 — from 1 remix, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- mayfly
- dun
- dry fly
- trout
- green
- yellow
- floss body
- banded body
- dun hackle
- half hackle
- silver wire
- size 14