Danica Dun
December 8, 2024
Tying Guide: How to tie Michael Olesen’s Danica Dun Hook: Maruto d21 size 10 Thread: Classic Waxed 12/0 from Semperfli, primrose for the abdomen and
To make a simple and easy Yellow May dun
Pay attention to the little details and take your time
High resolution pictures and easy to understand guide
“Don’t bother coming up with something new; everything is already out there on the internet.” Does that sound familiar? Well, at least some people think there’s nothing new to discover. According to my convictions, it’s somewhat like asking a musician not to write any more songs, because all the songs have already been written. Just like in music, there are countless combinations and ways to use materials in fly tying. So, go ahead; there’s absolutely no reason to limit yourself. Of course, you can limit the amount of material in flies, which, as a general rule, can be quite sensible. I must admit that the art of limitation is not really my strongest side unless it’s a matter of hard physical work. I often end up adding something to my flies when I need to come up with something new, but this time, I’ve kept it simple and omitted all unnecessary details, such as a hackle, which often adorns a dry fly.
Dry flies often need a hackle to stay afloat, and thats especially true for larger dry flies where the hook is bigger and therefore heavier. “No Hackle May” incorporates a little foam trick that can add some extra buoyancy to a fly without the need for a large and bushy hackle, which, in the worst case makes the fly look like a stiff broom or something from another planet. Dense straight and strong hackles are incredibly beautiful to look at, but they rarely make a fly resemble an insect. I am, at times, tempted to tie flies with beautiful hackles, but they end up being the driest dry flies in my collection, as they rarely come close to the water of my stream.
Briefly about “The Feather Mechanic II: Beyond the Pattern”
A look into the feature of the Luna Mayfly in Gordon van der Spuy’s new book. What Michael’s thoughts were going into this, and places on the web where the book can be bought will also be mentioned here.
See more from Gordon van der Spuy on his socials and website.
You can find a copy of “The Feather Mechanic II: Beyond the Pattern” on www.themissionflymag.com
Explore flytying from my vise at different levels of difficulty and learn ways to make them with easy step by step guides and simple illustrations. Explore a variety of flies and a passion for fly tying.
Before you have a go at it, make sure you have the following materials:
An obvious advantage of the foam trick is the nearly horizontal wing post, which has a relatively large water contact area compared to a traditional wing post that sits upright. In other words, my foam wing post is under the wing, whereas the traditional one is mostly above the wing. When foam tube and CDC wings are tied down at the same point, the foam automatically clamps around the wing, keeping it upright and strong. I am very fond of using foam tubes for this tying technique because I can create a nice organic, natural look with a slant cut on the already round ends.
Two wraps is enough to hold the foam in place, and then two more wraps to tie down the CDC feather fibers in the same point. For slightly larger flies, I use an extra CDC feather and create a wider wing, similar to a compara wing, so the wing also contributes to the fly’s buoyancy. For standard size 10 hooks, I use 2.6mm foam tubes, and for size 8, I prefer tubes with a 3mm diameter. The foam tube technique is best suited for the larger flies as the tubes have a certain size, but the whole point of this technique is actually to be able to create quite large dry flies without the overly dominant hackle, which in many cases only serves the purpose of keeping the fly afloat. I aim to use the lightest hooks possible to tie all the large mayflies, such as Dusky Yellow Streak, Brown May, Yellow May, Vulgata, and Danica.
The fly example in the step-by-step recipe is a Yellow May imitation, but it could just as well have been any other large mayfly. I personally enjoy tying Yellow May flies as they are in quite large numbers in the streams where I fish, and they also have a long season. In Denmark, it is most common to fish with Yellow May from mid-May through June. They also occur in September but have been declining in late summer fishing in recent years. If you’re fortunate enough to fish in a stream where “Brown May” occurs, you can simply modify the “No Hackle May”/Yellow May recipe to materials in brownish colors. Or if you’re fishing in the Alp regions of Europe, you can create it a slightly larger model with a medium brown body and light CDC wing, and then you have a Large Summer Mayfly. I have always thought that the emerger and spinner stages of mayflies are the most interesting from a fishing perspective, and that’s why “No Hackle May” is made specifically to lie deep in the water surface as an emerger or semi-drowned spent spinner, making it more visible to the fish.
“No Hackle May” doesn’t make much fuss, but it can certainly catch fish. The question is whether it can also catch fly fishermen. So far, I have received a really good response from fly fishing friends who appreciate the simplicity of the idea. The fly is easy to tie, and I would estimate it takes about 5 minutes to tie one. I don’t usually measure fly tying in hours and minutes, but there’s something satisfying about making a quick series of flies without breaking too much of a sweat.
The hook is placed in the vise, and the feather fibers are tied in as tails.
Add your dubbing to the hook shank, preferably loose and airy. The tying thread is left 1-2 mm from the hook eye.
The foam tube is tied in 2 mm behind the hook eye, on top of the dubbing in the thorax area.
Place 2 CDC feathers in a clamp and cut away the feather stem, leaving only the feather fibers in the clamp.
Hold the feather clamp horizontally, to make the feather fibers lie down. Slightly press on the feather clamp to loosen its grip on the feather fibers, making it possible to gather them into a small bundle with the tip of a dubbing needle.
Tie in the CDC feather fibers at the same tying point as the foam tube, with 2 wraps, and trim them to the desired length, approximately one centimeter in this case.
Make a whip finish at the hook eye, cut off the tying thread, and similarly, cut the foam tube diagonally behind the wing.
Trim the foam tube diagonally at the hook eye.
Read an in-depth article about The Yellow May.
Latest in the fly tying world according to Michael Olesen
Tying Guide: How to tie Michael Olesen’s Danica Dun Hook: Maruto d21 size 10 Thread: Classic Waxed 12/0 from Semperfli, primrose for the abdomen and
Michael Olesen’s September Sedge-fun On the road, heading towards Jutland, the stream is already on my mind. Is there shelter behind the trees? Should I
Michael Olesen’s Postcard from Danica Land The mayfly fishing is always worth the wait, but this year the wait wasn’t so long. The iconic insect
EOS European Outdoor Show in Verona EOS Verona 2024 Photos by Lorenzo Mangini & Margrethe Olesen Italians have it all; the best cuisine in the
Tying Guide: How to tie Michael Olesen’s Foam Foil Sedge Hook: Maruto d21 size 10 or 8 Thread: Semperfli Waxed 12/0 Rust Body/abdomen: Rust-colored Kapok
Fly Fishing and Insect Exploration Yellow May, A Simple Way The little stream is gurgling, calmly and elevating at the same time, right next to
Follow Michael on his social medias to stay updated with new fly tying creations and the latest from the local river.
Don’t miss any articles or news. Get the latest updates via email. Don’t miss out, you might end getting hooked.
Any time you may unsubscribe. (Not active)