Bodkin / Patterns

Improved Sparkle Dun PMD

Dry Fly · Emerger · Trout · Intermediate · 1 version

Classic Recipe

  • Hook Tiemco TMC 206BL or Daiichi 1310 (light-wire dry/emerger hook), #14-18, #14-18
  • Thread Light Cahill / pale yellow 70 denier / 8-0

Materials

  • Tail / trailing shuck Crinkled Zelon (Z-lon), gray or mayfly brown. A short tuft (small pinch)
  • Wing Comparadun/Sparkle Dun deer hair, natural or dun. Fine, hollow tips (small bunch)
  • Abdomen PMD/yellow tying thread, or Superfine dubbing in PMD (-)
  • Thorax Superfine dry-fly dubbing, PMD (pale yellow-olive) (pinch)

How to tie it

  1. Start the pale yellow thread and lay a smooth base to the bend.
  2. At about the 65% point, stand a small bunch of natural/dun deer hair upright and fan it 180 degrees across the top as a Comparadun wing (no hackle).
  3. Tie in a short tuft of gray (or mayfly-brown) crinkled Zelon at the bend as a trailing shuck about a shank length long, and carry a few strands up the underside of the wing for extra flotation.
  4. Build a slim abdomen with the yellow thread (or dub sparsely with PMD Superfine) from the shuck forward to the wing.
  5. Dub a sparse PMD Superfine thorax around the wing base to lock it upright.
  6. Whip finish behind the eye.

Tying videos

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