Mayfly Dun Micropatterns part 4 the perfect landing
Adult mayfly patterns keep me busy throughout the year, primarily because there are so many variables to consider. Still, my primary goal is proper landings, especially on smaller sizes like these #20s, as seen in the photo above. Often, you will see adult mayfly patterns tied with very defined, uniform, dense hackle collars very close to the hook eye. The late, great Vincent Marinaro made it his life's work to break the rules in traditional hackling techniques on mayfly patterns. One aspect he discusses in his book, “In the Ring of the Rise,” is tying the hackle to splay both backward and forward, like the legs on the natural.
Not only does this mimic the mayfly legs, but it also adds significant stability to the fly on the water. There are a few ways to achieve this consistently. What I have found over the last 35 years, since reading Marinaro's books, is that it's the foundation under the hackle that makes the difference in how I want it positioned. Creating a dubbed thorax in a near-perfect sphere creates a forward and rear ledge for the hackle to roll back and forward.
Above photo: A spherical thorax dubbed around the base of the hen tip wings helps the hackle collar splay to forward and the rear of the body. A TMC 531 #20 is a fine-wire, short-shank, wide-gape hook that has earned my respect over the years. It is a great hook for a wide range of dry-fly applications.
Above photo: This photo illustrates the hackle fibers splaying backward and forward, exposing the thorax in the bottom photo. Only two turns of hackle in the rear of the wings and one turn in front, and for this little #20, that's more than enough.
Photos above and below: The hackle fibers squirt backwards and forwards, giving you a fly that lands near-perfectly upright every time. One way to test this theory is simply drop a dun pattern repeatedly on your fly-tying bench from about 18 inches. If it repeatedly lands hackle-down on its face, it's out of balance, and the hackle collar isn't allowing it to ballast mid-air, thus landing face-first. Again, what we want to achieve is the fly to land upright, not face-planted in the water.
Above photo: The “thorax style” hackle collar creates a bow-tie profile, squirting fibers backwards and forwards, unlike a traditional collar, which creates a single uniform band towards the hook eye. Often, a bad landing results in a face plant and a spooked fish. Vincent Marinaro wound his hackles in an “X” pattern around the wings, but I have found that I can achieve the same effect using the spherical thorax.
Getting your dun to land flush and upright in the surface film seems like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised how many production fly patterns land incorrectly every time. Creating the proper foundation for your hackle collar makes all the difference in the world for a good thorax style adult mayfly. A production fly from China, typically comes from the Guangxi or Jiangsu Province, these fly mills will create a hackle collar that is over-hackled and too uniform. As an avid fly tyer, I can honestly say that overseas factory-made flies are not worth your time. Spend your days fishing with something you have confidence in, because life is too short.
Hopefully, this entry was helpful and informative. If you are interested in learning more about Vincent Marinaro's thorax style patterns, his books, “In the Ring of the Rise” and “A Modern Dry Fly Code” explain his techniques in great detail. These were books I grew up with and, honestly, inspired and influenced me for life.
~Clint Bova Return to Bamboo rod site: www.cjbovarods.com
