Lee Wulff's hair-wing answer to fragile Catskill duns — a gray-bodied, brown-winged dry that floats through water that would drown a quill-and-hackle fly. On UK and Irish waters it earned a second life as the standard Mayfly (Ephemera danica) dun. Rough water, big duns, bad light: this is the fly.
1. Thread base — Attach gray thread behind the eye and build a base to the bend.
2. Tail — Tie in a small bunch of natural brown bucktail at the bend, one hook-shank long.
3. Wings — At the 2/3 point, tie in a bunch of brown bucktail with tips forward. Lift, post upright, and divide into two wings with figure-eight wraps.
4. Body — Dub a full blue-gray body from the bend to behind the wings.
5. Hackle — Tie in a dun hackle behind the wings. Wind 4–5 turns behind and in front. Tie off and trim.
6. Head — Build a neat head, whip finish, and cement.
hook
thread
tail
wing
body
hackle
Ephemera danica
