The PMD is one of the most important Western hatches and increasingly common in the East. Its pale yellow-olive body and upright dun wings demand a precise imitation for selective trout on spring creeks and tailwaters.
1. Thread base — Attach yellow thread behind the eye and build a base to the bend.
2. Tail — Tie in a sparse bunch of dun hackle fibers at the bend, one hook-gap in length.
3. Body — Dub a slim, smooth sulfur yellow body from the bend to the 2/3 point. Slightly taper toward the head.
4. Wing — Tie in two matched dun CDC feather tips upright and divided at the 2/3 point, roughly hook-gap in height.
5. Hackle — Tie in a dun hackle behind the wings. Wind 2–3 turns through the thorax. Tie off and trim.
6. Head — Whip finish and apply head cement.
Seasons
Water conditions
hook
thread
tail
body
wing
hackle
Ephemerella excrucians
