Standby Mayfly Emerger
By A.K. BEST

I got this pattern from a book or magazine, but so help me, I cannot find the name of the originator—and I've searched my entire library at least three times. The man (or woman) should be sainted! I began tying and fishing this fly about 30 years ago and haven't felt the need to give up on it because it always produces. It's a simple pattern, with only one tricky step (which I'll try my best to explain).

Hook: Your favorite dryfly hook, sizes 16 to 20
Thread: Olive 6/0
Tail: Dark dun or brown (depending on natural)
Body: Olive or brown (depending on natural)
Wing pad/ball: Light/medium poly dubbing
Hackle: Dark dun or brown (depending on natural), parachute style

1) Tie in the tailing fibers, about the length of the hook gap.

2) Dub the body a little thicker than a dry fly.

3) Form the wing pad/ball in increments, as follows:

a) Stroke your finger on some dubbing wax and pinch off a tiny amount of dubbing.

b) Roll the dubbing onto the thread in the usual manner and, as it begins to adhere to the thread, use a downward rolling stroke with your forefinger and an upward rolling motion with your thumb, forcing the dubbing to form a tiny, dense ball completely around the tying thread. This first ball should be about the size of a BB.

c) Pinch off another small tuft of dubbing and use the same upward and downward rolling motions to spin the dubbing around the ball. Continue until you have spun a tight ball of dubbing that is about the same diameter as the hook gap.

d) Slide the ball down to the top of the hook shank, immediately in front of the shoulder of the body; bring the tying thread around under the hook shank and take two or three turns of thread in front of the ball.

e) Wrap thread around the space between the ball and the hook shank, about 10 or 12 turns, and apply a drop of thick head lacquer to the wraps for stiffening.

4) Select a very stiff hackle with no web and wrap a parachute-style hackle between the ball and the top of the hook shank. Depending on the quality of your hackle, you should only need three or four turns.

Apply a generous amount of your favorite flotant to this fly before fishing it and it will float all day.

—A.K.

Check out A.K.’s fly-tying videos, based on his popular books (unless noted, all times are 60 minutes; prices $19.95): Tying Dry Flies (120 minutes; $29.95); Tying BWOs; Tying Caddis & Midges; Tying Callibaetis & Green Drakes; Tying Nymphs & Wets; Tying Terrestrials; Basic Fresh Water Streamer Tying (available soon; 120 minutes; $29.95); Basic Salt Water Tying (available soon; 120 minutes; $29.95); Tying Gordons, Hendricksons, March Browns & Pale Evening Duns (available soon); Tying PMDs, Red Quills, Tricos and Paraleptophlebias (available soon); Techniques for Tying Tiny Dry Flies.