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Pale Morning Dun Nymphs
Split Case, PMD
Tying Instructions
1. Attach the hook to the vise. Make sure that the point and barb do not get pinched by the vise. Lay a thread foundation from behind the eye to the bend of the hook. You can verify this position by hanging the thread down with the bobbin and it should intersect with the middle of the barb.
2. Snip a small number of fibers from the Mallard Flank Feather with the tips even. Measure the length of the fibers against the shank, the tail length should be about 2/3 the shank length. Bring the fibers against the shank at the bend of the hook nearest to you. The thread pressure will bring the fibers to the top of the shank by it’s tension. Secure the fibers to the top of the shank with thread wraps.
3. Snip off the butt end of the tailing fibers behind the eye and secure with thread wraps. Place a piece of wire ribbing under the shank, behind the eye, and secure with thread wraps, wrapping back to the tail tie-in position. Try to keep the wire positioned at the bottom of the shank.
4. At the tail tie-in position, apply a small amount of Superfine Dubbing to the thread. Slide the dubbing up the thread so that some of the fibers touch the shank. Give on wrap of the dubbed thread around the shank to secure the fibers. Now, you can twist the fibers further for a tighter dubbed thread to create a thin abdomen.
5. Dub a tapered abdomen to just beyond the midpoint of the shank. You might have to add some additional dubbing to get a taper.
6. Wrap the wire ribbing forward with about 5 equally spaced turns. Clip off the butt end of the wire and secure with thread wraps.
7. Attach two Black Goose Biots by the butt ends behind the eye. Secure the biots with thread wraps to the abdomen. Note that there is a slight crossing of the biots with some overlap. This will give me a slight split effect. You can increase the split effect by placing the biots further down along the side of the shank.
8. Attach a thin section of Yellow .5mm razorfoam to the top of the shank behind the hook. I like to trim a small point to the material for securing. You can use white foam and mark it with a Yellow Highlighter. The edges of the foam should not exceed the width of the biots along the side edge, so make sure you use a thin section. Secure with thread wraps.
9. Dub a thorax that is about twice the diameter of the abdomen. You might need to add dubbing as you go but, always, keep the amounts small.
10. The thorax should be a tightly wrapped ball, taking care not to crowd the eye.
11. Snip two small segments of Mallard Flank Fibers for the legs. Attach each segment just behind the eye to the top of the shank in a crossing position.Secure with only a couple of thread wraps.
12. You can pull on the butt ends of each segment to adjust the length of the legs. I like to adjust the length so that they just exceed the length of the thorax. Then secure with 3-4 tight thread wraps.
13. Pull the foam over the thorax and secure the foam just behind the eyes. Note the the edges of the foam do not exceed past the center of the thorax, allowing the legs to still splay out along the side of the thorax.
14. Next, pull the two biots forward and secure these just behind the eye. Note the split, allowing the yellow foam to spot through. Secure with thread wraps.
15. Trim off the butt ends of the biots and wrap a small thread head. Whip Finish.
| Materials
to Order Material, click the link |
|
|---|---|
| Hook | Daiichi 1710 #16-20 |
| Thread | Uni-Thread Camel 8/0 |
| Body | Mahogany Brown Superfine Dubbing |
| Thorax | Mahogany Brown Superfine Dubbing |
| Ribbing | Small Wire, Neon Yellow |
| Tail | Natural Mallard Flank Fibers |
| Wingcase | Black Goose Biots |
| Wingbuds | Yellow marked 1.5mm Tan Foam |
| Legs | Natural Mallard Flank Fibers |
Pale Morning Dun Nymphs
The Pale Morning Dun mayfly is a major hatch for our Sierran streams and rivers. They are found heavily within Spring Creeks and tailwaters, preferring stabilized flows and streambeds with rooted vegetation. Often the nymphs tend to be within the riffles and tailouts of runs or pools, crawling on the bottom. They tend to be unavailable to the trout until just prior to the hatch and become restless, moving about the streambed.
Life Cycle
Lifecycle of PMD
The PMD begins its life cycle as a crawling type of nymph that crawls towards the streambanks before they swim clumsily to the surface when ready to “hatch”. The nymph actually splits just below the surface and the dun emerges completing it’s travel to the surface a few inches further.
At the surface it takes some time, 7-10 minutes, for the wings to dry so that the dun can proceed out of the water for the nearest streamside vegetation. PMD’s are generally in the size 16-18.
The duns molt into spinners for mating with the females depositing eggs usually in the late afternoon. Rarely is the spinner fall a focus for the trout as they tend to concentrate on the emerging dun during the hatch as large numbers are usually present on the water surface.
Hatches
Hatches usually begin in late May or early June and continue to the end of July or early August. The water temperature should be between 58-62 degrees Fahrenheit for a good hatch to take place. The hatch usually starts in late morning around 11:00am. If it is a bright, warm day the hatch might go on for only an hour or more. On cloudy days, the hatch might continue for 3-4 hours and be sporadic. Timing the hatch is critical for good nymphing opportunities.
Presentation
Deep nymphing should start about 3 hours prior to the hatch using a beadhead Pheasant Tail Nymph, Iron Lotus, Mighty May, or Micro May. Once the hatch starts to show, continue to nymph within the middle of the water column, particularly in shallow- to medium-depth riffles. Mercer’s PMD Trigger Nymph and Burk’s HBI can be quite effective during these middle water column presentations, particularly when used as a dropper off a dun dry fly pattern.
The dry fly will act as an indicator for placing the strike. During the middle of the hatch, when the duns are plentiful on the surface, using emerging nymphal patterns, such as the Split Case, will be the key.
Variations
Hot Spot Pheasant Tail Nymph
| Hook | TMC 3761 #14-18 |
| Thread | Veevus Black 8/0 |
| Head | Gold Bead | Ribbing | Copper Wire |
| Body | Pheasant Tail Fibers |
| Thorax | 50% Orange Ice Dub and 50% Pink Ice Dub |
| Tail | Pheasant Tail Fibers |
| Wingcase | Pheasant Tail Fibers |
| Legs | Butt Ends of Pheasant Tail Fibers |
| Collar | Veevus Fl. Orange 8/0 |
Trigger Nymph, PMD
| Hook | TMC 3761 #14-18 |
| Thread | Uni Thread 8/0 Camel |
| Head | Gold or Copper Bead |
| Body | Rusty Spinner Turkey Biot |
| Thorax | Mottled Nymph Dubbing, Mahogany |
| Tail | Ringneck Pheasant Tail Fibers |
| Wingbud | UV Light Yellow Ice Dubbing |
| Legs | Partridge |
HBI, PMD
Iron Lotus, PMD
| Hook | Daiichi 4640 #14-16 |
| Thread | Uni-thread Rusty Brown 8/0 |
| Head | 7/64 Gold Slotted Tungsten Bead |
| Ribbing | Uni-thread Yellow 6/0 |
| Body | Uni-thread Rusty Brown 8/0 coated with Loon's UV Clear Fly Finish, thin |
| Thorax | Arizona Synthetic Dubbing, Dark Hare's Ear |
| Tail | Partridge |
| Wingcase | 1/8 |
| Collar | Uni-thread Red 8/0 |
Micro May, Brown
| Hook | TMC 3769 #14-18 |
| Thread | Uni-thread Rusty Brown 8/0 |
| Head | Copper Bead |
| Ribbing | Small Silver Wire |
| Body | Stripped Peacock Herl |
| Thorax | Mahogany Mottled Nymph dubbing |
| Tail | 3 Ringneck Pheasant Tail Fibers, Natural |
| Wingcase | Cinnamon Tip Turkey Tail coated with UV Fly Finish, Thick |
| Wingcase Stripe | Flat Pearlescent Mylar Tinsel, Narrow |
| Collar | Mahogany Mottled Nymph dubbing |
| Legs | Ringneck Pheasant Tail Fibers, Natural |
Mighty May, PMD
| Hook | TMC 2487 #16-20 |
| Thread | Uni-thread Camel 8/0 |
| Head | Black Bead |
| Ribbing | Olive Krystalflash |
| Body | Brown Flexfloss |
| Thorax | Arizona Synthetic Dubbing, Dark Hare's Ear |
| Tail | 3 Ringneck Pheasant Tail Fibers, Natural |
| Wingcase | Mottled Turkey Tail coated with UV Fly Finish, Thick |
| Wingcase Stripe | Flat Pearlescent Mylar Tinsel, Narrow |
| Collar | Mahogany Mottled Nymph dubbing |
| Legs | Natural Brown Hen Back |