One of the great signs of spring for the fly fisherman is the emergence of the baetis or blue winged olive mayfly. This small aquatic insect makes its presence known in most tailwaters in our state, including the Green, Provo, Ogden and Weber rivers. Showing up anywhere from late February through May and even into June in some cases, the baetis hatch is an important part of spring fishing and the comparadun is a tried and true imitation for these mayflies. A very versatile pattern, the comparadun can pass as an emerging bug as well as the adult floating on the surface.

Imitation • Mayfly emerger or adult

When to use • During any mayfly emergence (match colors to naturals)

Where to use • Tailwaters

How to fish it • Typically the comparadun is fished as a dry fly with floatant applied as needed

Hook • TMC 100 #16 - #20

Thread • UTC Ultra thread 70 Olive

Tail • Tan Sparkle Emerger Yarn

Body/thorax • Dry fly dubbing (color to match natural)

Wing • Light dun coastal deer hair

Tying instructions

Start the thread at the eye of the hook and lay a base of thread in the thorax/wing area, giving you a base on which to tie the wing. Clip and stack a small clump of the deer hair and tie onto the hook at the thorax, with the tips of the hair pointing forward over the eye of the hook. As you tie the hair onto the hook, apply more pressure on each successive wrap, for a total of five or six thread wraps. Clip the butt-ends of the hair and wrap the thread over the hair stubs to form a nice tapered body. Work the thread back to the hook bend and tie in the sparkle yarn, clipping it to length. Apply a very small amount of dubbing to "dirty" the thread and build a slender tapered body up to the wing. Brushing the hair fibers back toward the back of the fly, build a dubbing dam and thorax in front of the wing, forcing the wings to remain upright and spread out into a fan shape. Tie in a small thread head and whip finish.

Curtis Fry lives in Orem and ties flies "for pure necessity and as a creative outlet. I don't fool myself into thinking it is a cheaper alternative to buying flies. It's an addiction I am forced to abide." —

Online See how to tie the fly

O Curtis Fry provides a tutorial at YouTube.

› www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5WfZ7QD7o8

More videos • youtube.com/user/frycdf