Trico Dun (Female)
By Elaine Cook
Trico Dun (Female)
By Elaine Cook
Tricos are very small, stout mayflies found in slower stretches of streams and in some stillwaters all across North America. They hatch in the mornings from early summer to late fall. In the hottest part of the summer, the females hatch soon after daybreak. In cooler parts of the season, hatches are progressively later, as late as noon at the end of the season. Because of its relatively large white wings, the dun is visible despite its small size. The spinner fall begins almost immediately in hot weather, up to four hours later in the coolest parts of the season. The male spinners (dark bodies, tails twice as long) fall first.
| Hook: | standard dry fly such as Tiemco TMC-100 sizes 18-22 |
| Thread: | *white 8/0 or 12/0 for wings, tail and abdomen *black or brown 8/0 or 12/0 for remainder of fly |
| Wing: | white hen hackle tips |
| Tail: | stiff white hackle fibers |
| Abdomen: | light green hackle stem (quill) |
| Thorax: | dark brown to black super-fine dubbing |
| Hackle: | black |
1. Crimp barb.
2. Attach white thread 1/3 back on shank.
3. Select two small matching hen hackles with rounded tips. Put the shiny sides together. Stroke the barbs toward the butt, leaving the tip section equal to the hook length (from eye to bend). See diagram.
Lay them on top of the shank, broad side toward you, tips forward, base of wing at the thread attach point. Bind them in place, lift them up, and place several figure eight wraps of thread to secure them upright and divided. Cut excess stem and bind the remainder down.
4. Measure six to eight stiff hackle barbs so they extend from the cut-off wing stem ends to one shank length beyond the shank.
Cut the barbs, lay them on top of the shank, bind them down and wrap thread over them to the rear of the shank. Bring the thread two wraps forward.
5. Remove the barbs from the light green hackle to prepare the stem (quill) for the abdomen. If you are using packaged hackle quills, soften them in warm water so they will be less brittle.
Cut off the tip of the stem and lay it on top of the shank with the tip against the cut-off wing hackle stems, butt extending over the tails. Bind the stem down and wrap the thread forward to the base of the wing. Tie off the thread and cut it.
6. Attach brown or black thread over the tie-off point of the white thread.
7. Wrap the stem forward in touching wraps to the base of the wing. Tie it off and cut excess stem.
8. Select a hackle with barbs equal to the hook gape and cut off the fuzzy part of the butt. Stroke back three or four of the barbs on each side of the butt and trim them close to the stem, giving them a crew cut look. Place the crew cut portion between the wings, shiny side toward you, tip to rear. Tie in with thread wraps immediately behind and immediately in front of the wing base. Return the thread behind the wings. Do not wrap the thread between the wings.
9. Dub a thorax behind and in front of the wings, to one eye length behind the eye.
10. Swing the hackle tip away from you without twisting it and take two turns of hackle immediately behind the wing and two turns immediately in front of it. Tie off and cut excess hackle tip.
11. Form a small head with tying thread, whip finish and cut excess thread.