Fly of the Month - Wally Wing Mayfly Dun

STEP 1

I'm tying this one on a size 12 Mustad C53S hook—any long, curved dry fly hook will do. I mount it in the vise upside down since this pattern is meant to ride hook-point up on the water. That inverted position gives the finished fly a better silhouette and keeps it riding properly during the drift.

STEP 2

I start my thread a few millimeters behind the eye and build a smooth base halfway down the hook shank. Nothing fancy here—just enough to give materials something to grip.

STEP 3

Next up is the tail. I’m using Coq de Leon , which has just the right stiffness and shimmer. I measure a clump to about the length of the hook shank and tie it in right on top. Because this fly rides inverted, the tail needs to support that posture, so I run the thread deep into the bend to make sure it’s secure.

STEP 4

Now I prep the body material. I take three strands of moose mane —two brown and one black. I even out the tips and tie them in so the body will darken at the tail and lighten toward the thorax, giving a nice natural taper. I wrap a thin underbody first, getting a slight taper as I move forward.

STEP 5

Once that's done, I twist the three moose hairs together and start wrapping the body. I keep them flat and parallel to each other. As I wrap forward, the body transitions from dark to light, which mimics a natural mayfly abdomen really well. When I reach the thorax area, I tie off the strands and trim the excess.

STEP 6

At this point, I rotate my vise to flip the fly right-side up—or hook-point down, technically—because now I’m going to tie in the wings. If you don’t have a rotary vise, just remount the hook upside down.

STEP 7

For the Wally Wings, I grab a large mallard flank feather. I gently strip and align an equal number of barbs from both sides, pull them down to form two loops, then dampen them a bit so they’re easier to shape. Here's where it gets fun—I thread the feather tip into a small plastic tube (I use an old UV resin nozzle) and pull it through to form neat, symmetrical loops. That gives me two pre-formed wings, ready to tie in.

STEP 8

I adjust the length, then secure the feather at the thorax with tight wraps, making sure the wings sit right on top of the hook shank. Once it’s locked in, I trim the butt and tie everything down cleanly. I use my fingers or bodkin to carefully split the wings—pulling a few fibers down on each side to separate them left and right. It takes a little finesse, but it really makes the wing stand out.

STEP 9

Next comes the thorax, which I build with peacock herl. I tie in a strand behind the wings and wrap it forward, creating a nice full thorax just ahead of the abdomen. Then I tie it off and trim the herl.

STEP 10

Time for the hackle. I choose a brown dry fly hackle, tie it in by the base just behind the eye, and give it a couple of wraps with the fibers sweeping forward —this gives the fly a better footprint on the water when it's riding hook-point up. Once I’m happy with the spread, I tie off the hackle and trim the excess.

STEP 11

To finish, I wrap a neat little head just behind the eye, whip finish, and snip off the thread. If I feel the wings need a bit more strength, I’ll give them a light coat of UV resin or varnish to help them hold their shape after a few fish.