Pennant Dun Fly Tying Video

I developed the Pennant Dun in early fall 2020 as a tiny, delicate, yet buoyant and visible mayfly-style attractor dry. Its effectiveness largely derives from its unusual wing and hackle design, which allows for a large wing on a small fly.

While I’m still working on other versions of the basic pattern that are more imitative, as well as using the wing/hackle method on larger attractor-style patterns (a variation of Mike Mercer’s Missing Link using this wing style is in the works, for example), the copper and purple versions of this pattern were good attractors on the Yellowstone River on early fall mornings, when there were a few midges and mayflies hatching, but no real specific hatches.

Recipe

Hook: #14-20 standard emerger hook, here #18.

Thread: 8/0, here purple. Note that the thread will show through the body material, so sometimes it’s good to change thread colors after tying the body, depending on the effect you wish to produce. On the copper version of this fly, I use rusty brown thread under the tail and body, but fire orange for the hackle, wing, and head. I want the hot orange head, but it makes the body too orange if I use it for the whole fly.

Body: Veevus Body Quill, here claret.

Hackle: 1x oversized dun-grizzly, dun badger, or light dun.

Wing: Silver MFC Widow’s Web, trimmed into a pennant shape.