Pale Morning Dun

The Pale Morning Dun fly imitates dry mayfly flies and more specifically two variations depending on the size that is fished. The pale morning dun fly is a great trout fly that can be tied in a multitude of varieties to be fished as a dry, emerger, or a nymph. The pale morning dun fly pattern can be fished in so many different forms because of its lifecycle and in turn makes it a very inimitable insect. Pale morning duns hatch as larvae on the bottom and can be easily mimicked by throwing a bottom crawling nymph pattern that represents a larvae caught in the current unable to get its grip. As they begin to move toward the surface, emerger patterns in slower moving water can be a killer fly they can’t resist.

 Pale Morning Dun Transition

The transition between the emerger and the adult pale morning dun is slow and in turn forces those emerging larvae to sit in the film or the subsurface of the water… it is the perfect snack for a hungry trout. Knowing which pale morning dun stage to fish and which one the fish are feeding on can be spotted by the way the trout rises. If they are subtly sliding their backs out of the water then they are feeding on emerger flies, when you can see their nose and top jaw begin to break the surface then you know they are feeding on the adult insect which sits up on top of the water and in turn is imitated best with a pale morning dun dry fly pattern. The distinction between the two is important because a trout feeding hard on emerging pale morning duns is not likely to change its mind and suddenly eat an adult insect. Think of this parallel; if you are eating a bag of Doritos and you suddenly pull out a Lays potato chip, are you going to eat it or just be slightly confused and put it down.

 Lifecycle Stages Trout Feed on Pale Morning Dun

The trout are often feeding on the pale morning dun mayfly at a specific stage in their lifecycle and matching the life stage as accurately as possible during the hatch period can be the difference from wide open fishing in the hole or bumping from pool to pool looking for the fish feeding on your target stage. The pale morning dun fly is often imitating crippled adult insects or spent and spinner varieties that can be fished as single or double dries. The Pale morning dun fly is a must have trout pattern and a prime example of a fly in which a broader umbrella of flies is better than a ton of a few patterns. When an angler can identify and present the correct stage of pale morning dun then they can expect a few hours of great fishing as those trout feast on the hatching pale morning duns.