Top 3 Mayfly Dry Patterns

All about flies Fly Tying
21

  1. Compara Dun

  2. Parachute

  3. Harrop CDC Tailwater Dun

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Parachute
Comparadun
Catskill

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Here are the results so far. Had to make some classification assumptions/decisions. Here is the order and number of points:

Parachute 24
Catskill 16
Comparadun 12
Sparkle Dun 8
Thorax Dun 5
Cripple 5
Hair Wing 4
Loop Wing 3
CDC/Elk 3
CDC Dun 2
Haystack 2
Pettijean Dun 1
Variants 1

Of course, one could combine some of the styles; i.e., Sparkle Dun with Cmparadun and Haystack even.

Interesting to me. Thanks everyone. If we get more responses, I will update.
Byron

24

Hi,

I don’t fish dries very often, but when I do it’s either a Catskill or a palmered dry (i.e. Whickam’s Fancy, elk hair caddis, etc).

  • Jeff
25

Comparradun
parachute
Catskill

26

I’m a little surprised that the parachute is top fly style so far. I’ve known days when a parachute was refused but a thorax dun with it’s hackle trimmed below the shank, tied with exactly the same materials, has taken fish. Something I’ve never seen happen the other way around.

Cheers,
A.

27

Alan,
I agree. Thing is, there are all sorts of fishers here with differing experiences.

Personally, I’m surprised that the Sparkle Dun was not way out in front.

28

Over here it is a very rare fly to see. I use them from time to time and know one or two others who do but I’ve never come across anyone else using them, or had any ordered to tie up. Mind you if you saw the flies available commercially here for rivers you wouldn’t believe it. There are people like me tying up modern patterns but the shops are still selling slip wing dry flies.
Cheers,
C.

29

This question can only have meaning in a specific context. What choices for what body of water, at what time of year, in what weather conditions?

I was on the Missouri in Montana yesterday, on a windy, rainy day. The bigger rainbows are all still up the creeks, making whoopie. So it was a 90% brown trout day. There were midges and a few BWOs. And some of the browns were sipping both bugs in the soft water, in between wind gusts. The best rig was a BWO dry fly with a midge nymph on a short trailer. In that context you need a small BWO pattern that floats well, that’s easy to see. On a brighter day it would have been easier to spot the dry fly. So in that case I might have chosen differently.

Those requirements wouldn’t have much bearing on bright hot PMD day on the Henry’s Fork. A Green Drake morning on a high altitude cutthroat creek would change the equation deja vu all over again. So stated choices cannot have much meaning outside a specific context.

30

Pitt:

That’s why it was STYLE of fly - not insect imitation.

You could tie a BWO in thorax, Sparkle Dun, Comparadun, Catskill, etc., etc.

It was trying to find out what are the favorite STYLES of tying flies…

31

…bbbbbbbbbbbbbut my favorite style changes every 15 minutes, depending on what’s happening. And where I am. I wouldn’t use a Sparkle Dun BWO on a wind-driven rainy day, from a boat, on a big river. But I probably would in some other context. Camparaduns are great flies on glassy water when it isn’t windy. But next to worthless in other situations. So sometimes the Camaradun is my favorite fly. Other times I’d wrinkle my nose and trade quickly for something else.

I hiked up to the top of Cinnamon Ridge in the Gallatin Canyon one winter, with tele skis and skins, with some buddies who were far better skiers. It was March and the snow was rotten: crusty on top with 3 feet of corn snow below. I tried to take it easy on the way down. But when you ski slowly on rotten snow you break through. After a half a dozen face plants my buddy Rick (a ski instructor at Bridger Bowl) zoomed up to me and said: “You’re going to have to let your skis go. You either have to fly down the mountain or you’ll spend the night up here and freeze to death.” I complained about goddamn rotten snow. Rick said: “You have to adapt to the conditions. The best snow is what you have right now. That’s what the mountain gives you.” I didn’t die that day. But I came pretty close.

32

I would say Catskill flies first, then CDC and elk and then terrestrials.

33

Narc,
Can’t accept terrestrials - they aren’t mayflies…

34

Hmmm, well then is either CDC and Elk. so I guess I only have the Catskill flies. I don’t fish parachutes and very few spinners. Although I do use sparkle duns but those are more of an emerger.

35

Hans Weilemann, who invented the CDC and Elk, fishes it as a mayfly too

36

Yes he does but it is more like a caddis.

37

I was suggesting that it would qualify for this thead which is about mayfly sub imago’s

38

Well, I 've been detecting a little testiness in this thread. Let’s all be good brothers and sisters of the angle, O.K.?

Chuck

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1- Adams
2- Dark Cahill
3- March Brown