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Peppermint Stripe Mayfly Dun

by @dekasso

Peppermint Stripe Mayfly Dun — a fly pattern by Dekasso
More by @dekasso

Dry fly

A peppermint stripe riding the riffle

A Catskill-style mayfly dun dry fly on a size 12 hook, with a striped floss body and olive grizzly hackle, for trout in moving water.

A mayfly dun dry fly with a red-and-white striped body, a long white tail and upright mottled wings. The body is twisted red and white floss, finished with a bushy olive grizzly hackle and a red thread head.

Imitates
General mayfly hatches
When
typically spring into early summer afternoons
Hook
size 12
Tippet
4Xrule of three
  • Twisted red and white floss body
  • Upright divided mallard flank wings
  • Olive grizzly hackle for a high float
  • Long white hackle-fiber tail
  • Size 12 dry fly hook

On the water

A dry fly riding the surface of a trout river

Red and white floss spirals up the shank like a sweet shop stick. A long white tail trails behind, two mottled mallard wings stand tall, and a bristling olive grizzly collar holds the whole thing up on its toes.

Drop it at the head of a riffle when duns are popping and let it ride the seam dead drift. The bright stripes and pale wings stay easy to track in broken water, so a short, clean drift and a quick lift are all it asks.

Twisting the floss is the step that makes the stripe. Spin the red and white strands together evenly before you wrap, and lay each turn tight against the last so the bands stay crisp from tail to thorax.

A coiled leader, tippet spools and an open fly box on slate

Rigging

Tippet
4Xhook size divided by three
Leader
Nine feet, tapered — longer and finer in flat water
  • Fish it on 9 ft leader tapered to 5X tippet; floatant on the hackle and tail only.
  • Cast up and across, mend once, and let it drift drag-free through the seam.
  • When the hackle starts to sink, dry it with a few false casts or a desiccant.

Where and when

Hatch
General mayfly hatchestypically spring into early summer afternoons
Target
Trout
Water type
Riffles, pocket water and the seams of freestone runs
Also fishes
Also works as a bright searching dry on pocket water and slow flats between hatches, and in low light when a visible fly helps.

Make it yourself

Intermediate6 materials · 10 steps

Style
Dry fly
Hook
Dry fly hooksize 12
Thread
Red 8/0
Fly-tying materials laid out on a dark bench

Materials in the order they go on the hook

  1. WingMallard flank, upright and divided
  2. TailWhite hackle fibers
  3. BodyRed and white floss, twisted together
  4. ThoraxWhite dubbing
  5. HackleOlive grizzly dry-fly hackle
  6. HeadRed thread

Details

Imitates
Mayfly
Colors
Red, White, Olive, Grey
A fly-tying vise holding a bare hook on a wooden bench

How to tie it

The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (10)
  1. Mount the size 12 dry fly hook and start the red thread one third back from the eye.
  2. Tie in a bunch of mallard flank, tips forward, with wing length equal to the hook shank.
  3. Stand the wing upright with thread wraps in front, then split it into two with figure-eight wraps.
  4. Tie in a bunch of white hackle fibers at the bend, about one and a half shank lengths long.
  5. Tie in one strand of red floss and one of white floss at the tail, then wrap the thread forward to two thirds up the shank.
  6. Twist the two floss strands together and wrap them forward in touching turns to form the striped body; tie off and trim.
  7. Dub a small, slim white thorax just behind the wings.
  8. Tie in the olive grizzly hackle by its stem, with barbs about one and a half times the hook gape.
  9. Wrap three turns of hackle behind the wings and two or three in front, then tie off and trim the tip.
  10. Build a small, neat red thread head, whip finish and add a drop of cement.
Proportions (4)
  • Tail: about one and a half times the hook shank.
  • Wings: equal to the hook shank, standing upright.
  • Hackle barbs: about one and a half times the hook gape.
  • Body: rear two thirds of the shank; thorax and hackle fill the front third.
Tips (3)
  • Keep the floss strands flat and untwisted on the spool side so the stripe bands stay even.
  • Pick a hackle feather with stiff, glossy barbs so the fly rides high.
  • Leave a clear space behind the eye before hackling so the head stays small.
Common mistakes (4)
  • Wings leaning back: post them with firm thread wraps in front before dividing.
  • Lumpy body: build a smooth thread underbody before wrapping the twisted floss.
  • Over-twisting the floss makes thin, uneven stripes; twist just enough for tight bands.
  • Crowding the eye with hackle wraps; stop with room for the red head.
A dozen-fly materials kit laid out on slate with its recipe card.
The kit

Every kit size

Materials only

Size 12 · Materials only · 12 flies

$52.80

$4.40 a fly

Includes Dry fly hook · and 8 more

Every item in this kit · 9 items

Hooks & beads

  • Dry fly hook$6.501 × 25 · size 12

Thread & wire

  • Red 8/0 thread$2.951 spool

Materials

  • Other material: Mallard flank, upright and divided$4.501 pack · From the recipe row "Wing"
  • White hackle fibers$11.951 saddle pack
  • Other material: Red and white floss, twisted together$4.501 pack · From the recipe row "Body"
  • White dubbing$4.501 dispenser
  • Olive grizzly dry-fly hackle$11.951 saddle pack

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

Size 12 · Materials only · 48 flies

$94.67

$1.97 a fly

Bought separately $99.65 · you save $4.98

Includes Dry fly hook · and 8 more

Every item in this kit · 9 items

Hooks & beads

  • Dry fly hook$132 × 25 · size 12

Thread & wire

  • Red 8/0 thread$5.902 spools

Materials

  • Other material: Mallard flank, upright and divided$92 packs · From the recipe row "Wing"
  • White hackle fibers$23.902 saddle packs
  • Other material: Red and white floss, twisted together$92 packs · From the recipe row "Body"
  • White dubbing$92 dispensers
  • Olive grizzly dry-fly hackle$23.902 saddle packs

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

Size 12 · Materials only · 144 flies

$233.24

$1.62 a fly

Bought separately $265.05 · you save $31.81

Includes Dry fly hook · and 8 more

Every item in this kit · 9 items

Hooks & beads

  • Dry fly hook$351 × 100 + 2 × 25 · size 12

Thread & wire

  • Red 8/0 thread$17.706 spools

Materials

  • Other material: Mallard flank, upright and divided$22.505 packs · From the recipe row "Wing"
  • White hackle fibers$71.706 saddle packs
  • Other material: Red and white floss, twisted together$22.505 packs · From the recipe row "Body"
  • White dubbing$184 dispensers
  • Olive grizzly dry-fly hackle$71.706 saddle packs

Finishing

  • Head cement$5.951 bottle

Guide

  • Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded1

With vise & tools

Size 12 · With vise & tools · 12 flies

$202.80

$16.90 a fly

Includes Dry fly hook · and 17 more

Every item in this kit · 18 items

Hooks & beads

  • Dry fly hook$6.501 × 25 · size 12

Thread & wire

  • Red 8/0 thread$2.951 spool

Materials

  • Other material: Mallard flank, upright and divided$4.501 pack · From the recipe row "Wing"
  • White hackle fibers$11.951 saddle pack
  • Other material: Red and white floss, twisted together$4.501 pack · From the recipe row "Body"
  • White dubbing$4.501 dispenser
  • Olive grizzly dry-fly hackle$11.951 saddle pack

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 12 · With vise & tools · 48 flies

$237.17

$4.94 a fly

Bought separately $249.65 · you save $12.48

Includes Dry fly hook · and 17 more

Every item in this kit · 18 items

Hooks & beads

  • Dry fly hook$132 × 25 · size 12

Thread & wire

  • Red 8/0 thread$5.902 spools

Materials

  • Other material: Mallard flank, upright and divided$92 packs · From the recipe row "Wing"
  • White hackle fibers$23.902 saddle packs
  • Other material: Red and white floss, twisted together$92 packs · From the recipe row "Body"
  • White dubbing$92 dispensers
  • Olive grizzly dry-fly hackle$23.902 saddle packs

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 12 · With vise & tools · 144 flies

$365.24

$2.54 a fly

Bought separately $415.05 · you save $49.81

Includes Dry fly hook · and 17 more

Every item in this kit · 18 items

Hooks & beads

  • Dry fly hook$351 × 100 + 2 × 25 · size 12

Thread & wire

  • Red 8/0 thread$17.706 spools

Materials

  • Other material: Mallard flank, upright and divided$22.505 packs · From the recipe row "Wing"
  • White hackle fibers$71.706 saddle packs
  • Other material: Red and white floss, twisted together$22.505 packs · From the recipe row "Body"
  • White dubbing$184 dispensers
  • Olive grizzly dry-fly hackle$71.706 saddle packs

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

2 iterations led here; the saved one is marked

  1. Iteration 1 of 21
  2. Iteration 2 of 22 Saved

Remixes

1 remix of this

Ruby Band Royal Coachman Dry — a fly pattern by Dekasso@dekasso

Where this came from

“make the hackle greenish”

fly pattern · made

1 remix

25 — from 1 remix, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.

  • dry fly
  • mayfly
  • dun
  • trout
  • attractor
  • red
  • white
  • olive
  • striped body
  • floss
  • mallard flank
  • grizzly hackle