The Bunse Green Drake Dun
The Bunse Dun proves what I always suspected but couldn’t prove though
my own efforts - that a tough, buoyant adult - mayfly imitation with a natural
upturned abdomen could be made from foam. My own attempts at foam
mayfly were off track until Richard’s [Bunse] fly lit the way. Actually,
it goes beyond a foam mayfly - many of my efforts at
tying with foam bottomed out until Richard.
But the Bunse Dun is more than just a pathway to the real thing - it is
the real thing. Yes, it takes a while to tie, but it’s durable and buoyant and
trout take it with confidence. Richard prefers Ethafoam for his dun; he feels
that its translucence mimics that of the natural.
The Bunse Green Drake Dun imitates its namesake - a large western mayfly
called the green drake that hatches early in the season from quick water. There
are several variations of the Bunse Dun, each an imitation of a specific
mayfly species.[The patterns for these variations are listed in the book,
Tying Foam Flies, in section IV, “Additional Foam
Flies.”] ~ Skip Morris
Materials List:
Hook: Short shank, dry fly, size 12 (the hook shown
is a Mustad 94838.)
Thread: Yellow 6/0 or 8/0.
Body: Ethafoam sheeting colored green. For all
Bunse Dun patterns: use foam 3/64" thick for hook sizes 20 and 18; 1/16"
for hook sizes 16 and 14; 3/32" for size 12 and larger.
Tail: Two mink-tail, nutria, or beaver guard hairs.
Wing: Natural dun-colored coastal deer hair.
Originally published January 10, 2000 on Fly Anglers Online by Skip Morris.