Grey Duster

Dry fly imitating mayflies, for trout and grayling. Beginner.

A carrot-shaped body of blue-grey rabbit underfur and a badger cock hackle, without tail or wings.

Materials

Steps

  1. Attach thread Attach the thread at 90% of the way along the shank with a few turns and trim the tag end.
  2. Wrap thread Wrap the thread to the start of the bend in touching turns.
  3. Dub: blue-grey rabbit underfur Twist a thin noodle of blue-grey rabbit underfur onto the thread and wrap it forward to 78% of the way along the shank. Carrot-shaped: thin at the rear, fatter forward, a little further forward than on a winged fly.
  4. Tie in: badger cock hackle Tie in the badger cock hackle with a few firm thread turns. Webby base stripped, underside facing you.
  5. Wrap thread Wrap the thread to 92% of the way along the shank in touching turns.
  6. Wind: badger cock hackle Wind the badger cock hackle forward to 90% of the way along the shank in 5 turns.
  7. Tie off: badger cock hackle Tie off the badger cock hackle with a few thread turns and trim the excess.
  8. Whip finish Form a small head, whip finish with 5 turns and cut the thread. A small, neat head.

History

An old British pattern of unknown origin. Scott Sadil traces it to anglers on the upper Dee in Wales, a century or more ago; Fish4Flies gives England and says it began as a stillwater midge. Neither gives a source. Courtney Williams ranked it with the best mayfly imitations or above them, and Stan Headley writes of anglers who use no other fly whenever mayflies hatch (both as reported by Sadil).

Fishing it

For rivers and stillwaters. Without a tail the rear end breaks the surface and the fly hangs in the film; Bob Wyatt reads it as an emerger rather than a dun. A general mayfly imitation, tied small for Caenis, the angler's curse; Preben Torp Jacobsen found a parachute version took Caenis feeders that refused everything else. It is hard to see once it settles: watch for any rise near it. Andrew Overend fishes it as a searching dry for trout and grayling, above all on the Welsh Dee.

Sources