Bodkin / Patterns

Pale Morning Dun

Dry Fly · Trout · Grayling · Intermediate · 1 version

Pale Morning Dun fly

Classic Recipe

  • Hook Standard dry fly, 16-20
  • Thread Yellow or pale olive 8/0

Materials

  • Hackle Pale dun or cream hackle (1 feather)
  • Tail Light dun hackle fibers (sparse)
  • Body Pale yellow dubbing (slender)
  • Wing Light dun hackle tips (2 matched)

How to tie it

  1. Mount hook, lay a smooth thread base to the bend.
  2. Tie in 6-8 light dun hackle fibers at the bend, one shank length, sparse.
  3. Dub a slender pale yellow body to the 65% mark. Thin noodle, gentle taper. PMDs are delicate insects and heavy dubbing kills the profile.
  4. Tie in two matched light dun hackle tips, upright and divided.
  5. Wrap a pale dun or cream hackle, 2-3 turns behind the wing and 2-3 in front.
  6. Small head, whip finish.

Substitutions

  • Body instead of Pale yellow dubbing: PMD Superfine — Exact color match; Pale olive dubbing — Early PMDs can be greenish
  • Wing instead of Light dun hackle tips: CDC puffs — More natural, better float; Light dun poly yarn — Visible, easy to tie
  • Hackle instead of Pale dun or cream: Light ginger — Close match, widely available; Light dun — Slightly darker but works

Tying videos

← All fly patterns