Riverstone Rust Mayfly Wet Fly
by @sunny
Winged Wet Fly · Wet fly
Rust and smoke over a stony riffle
A size 12 winged wet fly with a rust body, gold rib and dun wing, tied to swing for trout during mayfly emergence.
A winged wet fly that suggests a mayfly rising through the current, held over a bed of river stones. It carries a rust dubbed body ribbed in gold wire, a long dun tail, a swept grey wing and a soft dun collar.
- Pattern
- Winged Wet Fly
- Imitates
- Rust-bodied mayfly emergers, typically spring and autumn afternoons
- Hook
- size 12
- Tippet
- 4Xrule of three
- Rust dubbed body with gold wire rib
- Long dun hackle fiber tail
- Swept dun wing over soft hen collar
- Size 12 wet fly hook
- Built to swing through riffles
On the water
Rust dubbing wraps the body, cut into bands by bright gold wire. A long fan of dun fibers trails behind, and a grey wing sweeps back over a soft collar that splays like smoke. A small rust head finishes it at the bronze eye.
Fish it in riffles and runs when mayflies start to lift off the stones. Cast across, let it sink, then swing it through the seam. A short lift at the end of the drift brings the hackle to life like an insect heading for the surface.
Hen hackle is the part to get right. Pick a feather with soft, webby fibers, take two turns only, and let the fibers sweep back so they breathe in the current.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 4Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, with fluorocarbon tippet to get it down
- Use 4X to 5X tippet; a light leader lets the fly swing freely.
- Mend upstream after the cast so it sinks before the swing starts.
- Pause and lift at the end of the swing, then hold it in the current a moment.
Where and when
- Hatch
- Rust-bodied mayfly emergers, typically spring and autumn afternoons
- Target
- Trout
- Water type
- Riffles, runs and the tails of pools
- Also fishes
- Fished as a dropper in a team of wets, or dead-drifted just under the film in slow glides when emergers hang in the surface.
Make it yourself
Intermediate6 materials · 10 steps
- Pattern
- Winged Wet Fly
- Style
- Wet fly
- Hook
- wet fly hooksize 12
- Thread
- brown 8/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- Taildun hackle fibers
- Ribfine gold wire
- Bodyrust dubbing
- Wingdun hackle fiber bunch
- Hackledun hen hackle
- Headrust dubbing
Details
- Imitates
- Mayfly
- Colors
- Rust, Dun grey, Gold, Bronze
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (10)
- Mount the hook and lay a thread base from behind the eye to the bend.
- Tie in a slim bunch of dun hackle fibers at the bend, about a full shank length past it.
- Tie in the gold wire at the bend along the underside of the shank.
- Dub a thin noodle of rust dubbing and wrap a tapered body forward to about three quarters of the shank.
- Rib the gold wire forward in four to five open, even turns and tie it off.
- Tie in a bunch of dun hackle fibers on top as a wing, reaching just past the bend.
- Tie in a dun hen hackle by the tip in front of the wing.
- Take two turns of hackle, sweeping the fibers back, and tie off.
- Dub a small rust head between the hackle and the eye.
- Whip finish behind the eye and add a touch of head cement.
Proportions (4)
- Tail: about one shank length past the bend.
- Body: three quarters of the shank, slim and tapered.
- Wing: tip reaching just past the bend.
- Hackle: fibers reaching to about the hook point.
Tips (3)
- Keep the dubbing sparse so the gold rib shows clean bands.
- Wrap the rib opposite to the body direction so it locks the dubbing.
- Stroke the hackle fibers back before tying off so the collar sweeps rearward.
Common mistakes (3)
- A fat body crowds the head; dub thin and build the taper slowly.
- Too many hackle turns stiffen the collar; stop at two.
- A wing tied too far forward leaves no room for the head; leave a clear eye space.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 12 · Materials only · 12 flies
$59
$4.92 a fly
Includes Wet fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Wet fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Brown 8/0 thread$2.95
- Fine gold wire$3.25
Materials
- Dun hackle fibers$11.95
- Rust dubbing$4.50
- Dun hackle fiber bunch$11.95
- Dun hen hackle$11.95
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 12 · Materials only · 48 flies
$104.83
$2.18 a fly
Bought separately $110.35 · you save $5.52
Includes Wet fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Wet fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Brown 8/0 thread$2.95
- Fine gold wire$3.25
Materials
- Dun hackle fibers$23.90
- Rust dubbing$13.50
- Dun hackle fiber bunch$23.90
- Dun hen hackle$23.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 12 · Materials only · 144 flies
$273.37
$1.90 a fly
Bought separately $310.65 · you save $37.28
Includes Wet fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Wet fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Brown 8/0 thread$8.85
- Fine gold wire$9.75
Materials
- Dun hackle fibers$71.70
- Rust dubbing$36
- Dun hackle fiber bunch$71.70
- Dun hen hackle$71.70
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 12 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$209
$17.42 a fly
Includes Wet fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Wet fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Brown 8/0 thread$2.95
- Fine gold wire$3.25
Materials
- Dun hackle fibers$11.95
- Rust dubbing$4.50
- Dun hackle fiber bunch$11.95
- Dun hen 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 12 · With vise & tools · 48 flies
$247.33
$5.15 a fly
Bought separately $260.35 · you save $13.02
Includes Wet fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Wet fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Brown 8/0 thread$2.95
- Fine gold wire$3.25
Materials
- Dun hackle fibers$23.90
- Rust dubbing$13.50
- Dun hackle fiber bunch$23.90
- Dun hen 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 12 · With vise & tools · 144 flies
$405.37
$2.82 a fly
Bought separately $460.65 · you save $55.28
Includes Wet fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Wet fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Brown 8/0 thread$8.85
- Fine gold wire$9.75
Materials
- Dun hackle fibers$71.70
- Rust dubbing$36
- Dun hackle fiber bunch$71.70
- Dun hen 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
0 — nothing entered the score yet, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- wet fly
- mayfly
- winged wet
- rust
- dun
- gold rib
- trout
- swing
- riffle
- size 12