CDC Mayfly Dun "Fly of the Week #136

CDC Mayfly Dun
By Al Campbell, Rapid City SD, USA

CDC Mayfly Dun

Many people are timid when it comes to using CDC as a fly tying material. CDC is one of the easiest materials to use in any fly and the results are super. You never have to add floatant to a fly tied with CDC and it floats like a cork. This pattern is simple, easy to tie and it works especially well during the hatch when mayflies are floating in the surface film trying to dry their wings so that they can fly away. It's during this emergence stage of the hatch that fish feed most heavily on these insects. It's also during this stage of the hatch that a fisherman using a good dun pattern can clean up on the fish if he/she knows what to look for. CDC flies float low in the surface film like an emerging insect that is helpless until its wings dry. Tails and hackles can be omitted if you wish and then this pattern will work as a caddis fly if tied in the right sizes and colors. My favorite colors are a dun body with a dun wing in a size 20 or 22 to match the Baetis mayfly that is so common in the Black Hills and on the Bighorn river. I usually omit the hackle so the fly will ride lower and more naturally in the surface film. Of course, if you have questions about this or any other fly pattern, e-mail me. I'm always glad to be of service. Thanks and tight lines, Al Campbell.

Materials List:

Hook: MUSTAD 94840 or TMC100, Size 14-24

Thread: 6/0 or 8/0, color to match natural, (black and gray are excellent colors).

Body: Fine dubbing, color to match natural.

Wing: CDC feather, color to match natural.

Hackle: Light to dark dun. (optional)

Tail: Micro-fibet or hackle fiber.

Tying Instructions:

1. Tie in tail. A small bump of dubbing tied in first will cause tail to lift and spread.

2. Dub a thin tapered body aprox. 3/4 of the hook shank long.

3. Sparsely hackle the front part of the body. (optional)

4. Select several CDC feathers and gently tie in as a wing extending to the hook bend, (two wraps of thread is all that is required at this point. The feather should be pulled forward into position with the CDC wing just a little longer than the length of the body.

5. Tie wing down and trim stem of feather just ahead of the tie down point.

6. Dub over the spot that the wing was tied down creating a natural taper.

7. Whip finish and cement.

8. Trim hackle on the bottom to form an inverted V. ~ Al Campbell

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