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Windblown Pearl Olive Mayfly Dun

by @dekasso

Windblown Pearl Olive Mayfly Dun — a fly pattern by Dekasso
More by @dekasso

Dry fly

A rumpled dun drying its wings

A size 16 olive mayfly dun with split Coq de Leon tails and a loose pearl Z-Lon wing, for trout during blue-winged olive hatches.

A small olive mayfly dun with split speckled tails and a frayed, glinting pearl wing. The body is a segmented olive biot, and the wing is loose white Z-Lon that catches light on every side.

Imitates
Blue-winged olive hatch
When
typically spring and fall afternoons, often on grey, drizzly days
Hook
size 16
Tippet
5Xrule of three
  • Split Coq de Leon tails for balance
  • Segmented olive goose biot body
  • Loose pearl Z-Lon wing catches light
  • Size 16 for blue-winged olive hatches
  • Rides low on slow, flat water

On the water

A dry fly riding the surface of a trout river

Two ginger tails flare off the bend like whiskers. A banded olive body runs forward to a tuft of pearl white Z-Lon, frayed and unruly, glinting in every direction against the slate.

Fish it on soft flats and slow runs when olives are popping on a grey afternoon. Cast above a rising fish and let it ride drag-free. The messy wing sits low and sparkles like a dun still shaking off its shuck.

Goose biot gives that clean segmented body. Wet it before tying in, and tie it by the tip with the notch facing up so each wrap leaves a fine raised ridge.

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
  • Fish on 5X or 6X tippet with a long, supple leader for clean drifts.
  • Dress the wing lightly with floatant and keep it off the body so it stays fluffy.
  • Dead drift it into the feeding lane; a tiny twitch can wake a fish holding below.

Where and when

Hatch
Blue-winged olive hatchtypically spring and fall afternoons, often on grey, drizzly days
Target
Trout
Water type
Slow runs, flats and spring creeks
Also fishes
Also works as a cripple in film-feeding eddies, and in a pinch during small olive hatches on stillwater margins.

Make it yourself

Intermediate5 materials · 11 steps

Style
Dry fly
Hook
Standard dry-fly hooksize 16
Thread
Olive 8/0
Fly-tying materials laid out on a dark bench

Materials in the order they go on the hook

  1. TailCoq de Leon fibers, split
  2. BodyOlive goose biot
  3. WingWhite pearl Z-Lon
  4. ThoraxOlive superfine dubbing
  5. HeadOlive thread

Details

Imitates
Blue-winged olive mayfly dun
Colors
Olive, Pearl white, Ginger
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 olive thread one-third back from the eye, then wrap a thin base to the bend.
  2. Build a tiny thread bump at the bend to help split the tails.
  3. Tie in three or four Coq de Leon fibers each side of the bump, splayed apart, about one shank length long.
  4. Tie in a wetted olive goose biot by its tip at the bend, notch up.
  5. Wrap the biot forward in touching turns to the two-thirds point, tie off and trim.
  6. Tie in a small bunch of pearl Z-Lon crosswise with figure-eight wraps just ahead of the body.
  7. Lift and post the wing with a few wraps so the fibers stand up and flare out.
  8. Dub a slim olive thorax around the base of the wing, covering the tie-in wraps.
  9. Form a small, neat olive thread head behind the eye.
  10. Whip finish and trim the thread.
  11. Trim the wing roughly to length, then tease the fibers with a dubbing brush so they splay loose and uneven.
Proportions (4)
  • Tails: about one hook shank long, split into a clear V.
  • Body: rear two-thirds of the shank, slim and evenly tapered.
  • Wing: roughly one and a quarter shank lengths tall, loose and uneven at the tips.
  • Thorax: front third of the shank, slightly fatter than the body.
Tips (3)
  • Soak the biot in water for a minute so it wraps without splitting.
  • Use a dubbing brush on the wing last to open the Z-Lon fibers.
  • Keep the thorax dubbing sparse; a fat thorax pushes the wing out of shape.
Common mistakes (4)
  • Tails bunched together: build the thread bump first so the fibers split around it.
  • Biot cracking mid-wrap: wet it well and tie it in by the tip, not the base.
  • Wing too dense: start with a thin pinch of Z-Lon, since it fluffs up once brushed.
  • Crowding the eye: leave room for the head and whip finish before dubbing the thorax.
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

$32.40

$2.70 a fly

Includes Standard dry-fly hook · and 7 more

Every item in this kit · 8 items

Hooks & beads

  • Standard dry-fly hook$6.501 × 25 · size 16

Thread & wire

  • Olive 8/0 thread$2.951 spool

Materials

  • Other material: Coq de Leon fibers, split$4.501 pack · From the recipe row "Tail"
  • Other material: Olive goose biot$4.501 pack · From the recipe row "Body"
  • White pearl Z-Lon$3.501 pack
  • Olive superfine dubbing$4.501 dispenser

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

Size 16 · Materials only · 48 flies

$52.58

$1.10 a fly

Bought separately $55.35 · you save $2.77

Includes Standard dry-fly hook · and 7 more

Every item in this kit · 8 items

Hooks & beads

  • Standard dry-fly hook$132 × 25 · size 16

Thread & wire

  • Olive 8/0 thread$5.902 spools

Materials

  • Other material: Coq de Leon fibers, split$92 packs · From the recipe row "Tail"
  • Other material: Olive goose biot$92 packs · From the recipe row "Body"
  • White pearl Z-Lon$3.501 pack
  • Olive superfine dubbing$92 dispensers

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

Size 16 · Materials only · 144 flies

$116.29

$0.81 a fly

Bought separately $132.15 · you save $15.86

Includes Standard dry-fly hook · and 7 more

Every item in this kit · 8 items

Hooks & beads

  • Standard dry-fly hook$351 × 100 + 2 × 25 · size 16

Thread & wire

  • Olive 8/0 thread$17.706 spools

Materials

  • Other material: Coq de Leon fibers, split$22.505 packs · From the recipe row "Tail"
  • Other material: Olive goose biot$22.505 packs · From the recipe row "Body"
  • White pearl Z-Lon$10.503 packs
  • Olive 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

$182.40

$15.20 a fly

Includes Standard dry-fly hook · and 16 more

Every item in this kit · 17 items

Hooks & beads

  • Standard dry-fly hook$6.501 × 25 · size 16

Thread & wire

  • Olive 8/0 thread$2.951 spool

Materials

  • Other material: Coq de Leon fibers, split$4.501 pack · From the recipe row "Tail"
  • Other material: Olive goose biot$4.501 pack · From the recipe row "Body"
  • White pearl Z-Lon$3.501 pack
  • Olive 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

$195.08

$4.06 a fly

Bought separately $205.35 · you save $10.27

Includes Standard dry-fly hook · and 16 more

Every item in this kit · 17 items

Hooks & beads

  • Standard dry-fly hook$132 × 25 · size 16

Thread & wire

  • Olive 8/0 thread$5.902 spools

Materials

  • Other material: Coq de Leon fibers, split$92 packs · From the recipe row "Tail"
  • Other material: Olive goose biot$92 packs · From the recipe row "Body"
  • White pearl Z-Lon$3.501 pack
  • Olive 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

$248.29

$1.72 a fly

Bought separately $282.15 · you save $33.86

Includes Standard dry-fly hook · and 16 more

Every item in this kit · 17 items

Hooks & beads

  • Standard dry-fly hook$351 × 100 + 2 × 25 · size 16

Thread & wire

  • Olive 8/0 thread$17.706 spools

Materials

  • Other material: Coq de Leon fibers, split$22.505 packs · From the recipe row "Tail"
  • Other material: Olive goose biot$22.505 packs · From the recipe row "Body"
  • White pearl Z-Lon$10.503 packs
  • Olive 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.

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See everything by @dekasso

How it was made

1 iteration led here; the saved one is marked

  1. Iteration 1 of 11 Saved

Remixes

7 steps back

  1. Slate Ledge Grizzly Soft Hackle@dekasso · the original
  2. Grizzly Half Hackle Mayfly Dun@dekasso
  3. Evening Ember Sulphur Mayfly Dun@dekasso
  4. Thistledown CDC Olive Mayfly Dun@dekasso
  5. Bluebird Olive CDC Dun@dekasso
  6. Lemon Olive Sparkle Dun@dekasso
  7. Lemon Fade Olive Sparkle Dun — a fly pattern by DekassoLemon Fade Olive Sparkle Dun@dekasso
  8. Windblown Pearl Olive Mayfly Dunyou are here

No remixes yet — make your own version.

Where this came from

“make the wing look more disheveled so it doesn't have such an even cut”

fly pattern · made

0 — nothing entered the score yet, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.

  • blue-winged olive
  • bwo
  • mayfly dun
  • dry fly
  • olive
  • pearl
  • z-lon
  • goose biot
  • coq de leon
  • trout
  • spring creek
  • size 16