Bodkin / Patterns

Big Yellow Mayfly

Dry Fly · Trout · Intermediate · 1 version

Reference Recipe

  • Hook Standard dry-fly hook, 10-12
  • Thread Yellow 8/0 (70 denier)

Materials

  • Tail Ginger or cream material (6-8 spade hackle fibers)
  • Body Pale yellow d rib larva lace (fine dry-fly dubbing)
  • Wing Light dun wing bud (1 clump deer or elk hair (or CDC))
  • Hackle Ginger hackle (1 dry-fly hackle)

How to tie it

  1. Mount the hook and run thread to the bend.
  2. Tie in a tail of stiff ginger fibers one shank length long, splayed slightly for float.
  3. Dub a slim tapered body of pale yellow dubbing from the bend to the 70% mark. Use half the dubbing you think you need.
  4. Stack a clump of light dun deer hair and tie it in as an upright wing at the 70% mark, then post the base with a few thread turns.
  5. Tie in a ginger hackle behind the wing and wrap 4-5 turns, two behind and two in front of the wing, to keep it standing.
  6. Sweep stray fibers back, build a small head, and whip finish.

Tying videos

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