Silver Fleck Olive Mayfly Dun
by @dekasso
CDC Comparadun · Dry fly
Grey sail catching a spring afternoon
A size 16 CDC comparadun in olive and dun grey, with a silver-flecked wing, for trout rising to olive mayfly duns.
An olive mayfly dun stands in the vise with a tall grey fan riding high over a slim, tight body. Dun CDC carries fine silver tinsel flecks, while split microfibbets trail behind an olive dubbed body and thorax.
- Pattern
- CDC Comparadun
- Imitates
- Blue-winged olive hatch
- When
- typically spring and autumn afternoons, often on grey days
- Hook
- size 16
- Tippet
- 5Xrule of three
- Size 16 dry fly hook
- Dun CDC wing with silver tinsel
- Split microfibbet tail for balance
- Olive dubbed body and thorax
- No hackle, low clean profile
On the water
A slim olive body runs the shank, tight and neat, swelling into a soft thorax. Above it, a grey fan of CDC stands tall with tiny silver sparks caught in the fibres. Two fine tails fork out behind like the real thing.
Fish it where trout sip olives off the seam of a riffle or the flat tail of a glide. Cast upstream, let it drift drag-free, and watch that grey fan bob along with the naturals.
Split microfibbets are worth the fuss. Tie them in a clean V over a tiny dubbing ball, and the fly lands upright and sits level on the film.
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, soft leader for flat water.
- Dress the CDC with powder floatant only; gels mat the fibres down.
- Dead-drift it; after a fish, squeeze it dry and re-fluff the wing.
Where and when
- Hatch
- Blue-winged olive hatchtypically spring and autumn afternoons, often on grey days
- Target
- Trout
- Water type
- Riffles, smooth glides and slow runs
- Also fishes
- Also fishes well on slow spring creeks, lake margins during a mayfly emergence, and overcast tailwater afternoons.
Make it yourself
Intermediate6 materials · 10 steps
- Pattern
- CDC Comparadun
- Style
- Dry fly
- Hook
- Dry fly hooksize 16
- Thread
- Olive 8/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- TailDun microfibbets
- BodyOlive superfine dubbing
- WingDun CDC
- FlashFine silver tinsel
- ThoraxOlive superfine dubbing
- HeadOlive 8/0 thread
Details
- Imitates
- Olive mayfly dun
- Colors
- Olive, Dun grey, Silver
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (10)
- Mount the size 16 dry fly hook and start the olive 8/0 thread behind the eye, wrapping back to the bend.
- Dub a tiny ball of olive superfine at the bend to act as a tail splitter.
- Tie in two dun microfibbets per side, splitting them around the ball into a V about one shank length long.
- Dub a thin, tight olive body forward over two-thirds of the shank, tapering slightly toward the front.
- Stack two or three dun CDC feathers, tips even, and tie them in on top as an upright fan about one shank length tall.
- Tie in two or three strands of fine silver tinsel inside the wing, trimmed level with the CDC tips.
- Post the wing upright with a few wraps of thread in front of it.
- Dub a slightly fuller olive thorax around the wing base, keeping it shorter than the body.
- Build a small, neat olive thread head behind the eye.
- Whip finish and add a touch of head cement to the threads only.
Proportions (5)
- Tail: one shank length, split in a clean V.
- Wing: about one shank length tall, set at two-thirds up the shank.
- Body: rear two-thirds of the shank, slim and tight.
- Thorax: front third, a little fuller than the body.
- Flash: no longer than the CDC tips.
Tips (3)
- Twist the dubbing thinly on the thread so the body stays tight and segmented.
- Even up CDC tips before tying in by stacking feathers, not by trimming.
- Keep tinsel sparse; a few strands give a fleck, not a flash.
Common mistakes (4)
- Tails collapse together: build the dubbing ball first, then split the fibres around it.
- Wing leans back: add a few thread wraps in front to post it upright.
- Bulky thorax hides the wing base: dub sparingly and in small turns.
- Cutting CDC tips leaves blunt ends: set length when tying in instead.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 16 · Materials only · 12 flies
$33.60
$2.80 a fly
Includes Dry fly hook · and 7 more
Every item in this kit · 8 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$2.95
- Fine silver tinsel$3.25
Materials
- Dun microfibbets$3.50
- Olive superfine dubbing$4.50
- Dun CDC$6.95
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 16 · Materials only · 48 flies
$62.65
$1.31 a fly
Bought separately $65.95 · you save $3.30
Includes Dry fly hook · and 7 more
Every item in this kit · 8 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$5.90
- Fine silver tinsel$3.25
Materials
- Dun microfibbets$3.50
- Olive superfine dubbing$13.50
- Dun CDC$20.85
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 16 · Materials only · 144 flies
$150.04
$1.04 a fly
Bought separately $170.50 · you save $20.46
Includes Dry fly hook · and 7 more
Every item in this kit · 8 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$17.70
- Fine silver tinsel$9.75
Materials
- Dun microfibbets$10.50
- Olive superfine dubbing$36
- Dun CDC$55.60
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 16 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$183.60
$15.30 a fly
Includes Dry fly hook · and 16 more
Every item in this kit · 17 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$2.95
- Fine silver tinsel$3.25
Materials
- Dun microfibbets$3.50
- Olive superfine dubbing$4.50
- Dun CDC$6.95
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 16 · With vise & tools · 48 flies
$205.15
$4.27 a fly
Bought separately $215.95 · you save $10.80
Includes Dry fly hook · and 16 more
Every item in this kit · 17 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$5.90
- Fine silver tinsel$3.25
Materials
- Dun microfibbets$3.50
- Olive superfine dubbing$13.50
- Dun CDC$20.85
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
$282.04
$1.96 a fly
Bought separately $320.50 · you save $38.46
Includes Dry fly hook · and 16 more
Every item in this kit · 17 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$17.70
- Fine silver tinsel$9.75
Materials
- Dun microfibbets$10.50
- Olive superfine dubbing$36
- Dun CDC$55.60
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
4 iterations led here; the saved one is marked
1
2
3
4 Saved
Remixes
1 remix of this
Where this came from
“make the body less fuzzy... make the tail a proper split wing tail.... remove the hackle from under the hook so hackle is only above. Add slight thin tinsel to wings.”
fly pattern · made
1 remix
25 — from 1 remix, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- olive dun
- mayfly
- cdc
- comparadun
- dry fly
- blue-winged olive
- split tail
- trout
- size 16
- silver flash