River Mist Green Drake Dun
by @john
Green Drake Dun · Dry fly
Big drakes lifting off a misty river
A size 10 upright-winged Green Drake dun in olive and yellow, tied to ride high for trout during the drake hatch.
A Green Drake dun stands on the hook with tall dark wings raised over an olive body. Yellow floss ribs the olive dubbing, a moose hair tail trails long behind, and an olive hackle collar holds it high.
- Pattern
- Green Drake Dun
- Imitates
- Green Drake hatch, typically late May into June, often heaviest toward evening
- Hook
- size 10
- Tippet
- 3Xrule of three
- Tall dark dun hen hackle wings
- Olive body with yellow floss rib
- Long moose body hair tail
- Size 10 dry-fly hook
- Olive rooster hackle rides it high
On the water
Two dark dun wings stand tall like sails. Below them, an olive body wears neat yellow bands, and a fan of moose hair stretches out past the bend. The olive hackle sits in a soft, spiky collar right under the wings.
Fish it when the big drakes pop off the riffles and drift into the slower water below. Cast above a rise, mend once, and let it ride the seam without drag. A gentle twitch as it nears the fish can mimic a dun trying to fly.
Hen hackle tips make the wing. Match the pair for size, set them shiny sides out, and split them with figure-eight wraps so they stand straight and balanced on the water.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 3Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, tapered — longer and finer in flat water
- Pair with 4X tippet; the big wings can twist finer line on the cast.
- Dress the hackle and tail with floatant before the first cast, then false cast to dry it between drifts.
- Aim for a long drag-free drift along seams and foam lines; add one small twitch near the fish.
Where and when
- Water
- West Branch of the Delaware, Catskills
- Hatch
- Green Drake hatch, typically late May into June, often heaviest toward evening
- Target
- Trout
- Water type
- Riffles, runs and slow pools on freestone rivers
- Also fishes
- Works as a large olive mayfly on slow flats and lake margins, and as a searching dry on summer pocket water.
Also on this water
- HendricksonApr–May
- SulphurMay–Jun
- Green DrakeJun
Fished out of Hancock and Deposit.
Make it yourself
Intermediate6 materials · 10 steps
- Pattern
- Green Drake Dun
- Style
- Dry fly
- Hook
- Tiemco 5212 dry-fly hooksize 10
- Thread
- Olive 6/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- WingDark dun hen hackle tips
- TailMoose body hair
- RibYellow floss
- BodyOlive dubbing
- HackleOlive dyed rooster hackle
- HeadOlive thread
Details
- Imitates
- Green Drake mayfly dun
- Colors
- Olive, Yellow, Dark dun, Grey-brown
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (10)
- Mount the hook and start the olive thread one third back from the eye, laying a base to mid-shank.
- Tie in a matched pair of dark dun hen hackle tips, shiny sides out, about one shank length tall.
- Stand the wings upright with thread wraps in front, then split them with figure-eight wraps.
- Wrap back to the bend and tie in a small bunch of moose body hair for the tail, about one shank length long.
- Tie in the yellow floss at the bend and leave it hanging.
- Dub a slim olive body that tapers up to just behind the wings.
- Wind the yellow floss forward in five even open turns and tie it off behind the wings.
- Tie in the olive rooster hackle behind the wings, fibres about one and a half times the hook gap.
- Wrap three turns of hackle behind the wings and two in front, then tie off.
- Build a small, neat olive thread head, whip finish and add a drop of cement.
Proportions (4)
- Wings: about one shank length tall, standing straight up.
- Tail: roughly one shank length past the bend.
- Hackle fibres: about one and a half times the hook gap.
- Body: slim, filling the rear two thirds of the shank and tapering forward.
Tips (4)
- Pick hen hackle tips from the same feather so the two wings match in width and curve.
- Even the moose hair tips before tying in so the tail splays cleanly.
- Keep the dubbing thin; the yellow rib reads better on a slim body.
- Wet your fingers on the floss to keep it flat as you wind the rib.
Common mistakes (4)
- Wings leaning forward: post them with a few wraps behind as well as in front.
- Crowded eye: leave space for the hackle turns and the head when setting the wings.
- Fat body: add dubbing a little at a time and twist it tight on the thread.
- Uneven rib spacing: mark five turns in your head before you start and keep gaps equal.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 10 · Materials only · 12 flies
$52.55
$4.38 a fly
Includes Tiemco 5212 dry-fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212 dry-fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$2.95
- Yellow floss$3.25
Materials
- Dark dun hen hackle tips$11.95
- Moose body hair$5.50
- Olive dubbing$4.50
- Olive dyed rooster hackle$11.95
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 10 · Materials only · 48 flies
$91.11
$1.90 a fly
Bought separately $95.90 · you save $4.79
Includes Tiemco 5212 dry-fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212 dry-fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$5.90
- Yellow floss$3.25
Materials
- Dark dun hen hackle tips$23.90
- Moose body hair$11
- Olive dubbing$9
- Olive dyed rooster hackle$23.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 10 · Materials only · 144 flies
$221.58
$1.54 a fly
Bought separately $251.80 · you save $30.22
Includes Tiemco 5212 dry-fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212 dry-fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$17.70
- Yellow floss$9.75
Materials
- Dark dun hen hackle tips$71.70
- Moose body hair$22
- Olive dubbing$18
- Olive dyed rooster hackle$71.70
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 10 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$202.55
$16.88 a fly
Includes Tiemco 5212 dry-fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212 dry-fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$2.95
- Yellow floss$3.25
Materials
- Dark dun hen hackle tips$11.95
- Moose body hair$5.50
- Olive dubbing$4.50
- Olive dyed rooster 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 10 · With vise & tools · 48 flies
$233.61
$4.87 a fly
Bought separately $245.90 · you save $12.29
Includes Tiemco 5212 dry-fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212 dry-fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$5.90
- Yellow floss$3.25
Materials
- Dark dun hen hackle tips$23.90
- Moose body hair$11
- Olive dubbing$9
- Olive dyed rooster 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 10 · With vise & tools · 144 flies
$353.58
$2.46 a fly
Bought separately $401.80 · you save $48.22
Includes Tiemco 5212 dry-fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5212 dry-fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$17.70
- Yellow floss$9.75
Materials
- Dark dun hen hackle tips$71.70
- Moose body hair$22
- Olive dubbing$18
- Olive dyed rooster 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
1 remix of this
Where this came from
fly pattern · made
1 remix
25 — from 1 remix, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- green drake
- dry fly
- mayfly
- dun
- olive
- yellow rib
- hen hackle wing
- moose tail
- trout
- size 10
- freestone
- drake hatch