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Compara-Done! Tying the Comparadun the easy and right way
Tying comparadun-style flies is easy as 1-2-3
By Steve Schweitzer
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Comparaduns
are one of the most versatile mayfly patterns in existence representing
a low-riding mayfly to near perfection. They are commonly used
during a PMD (pale morning dun) hatch. However, many folks deny
themselves of tying this simple pattern due to the perceived complexity
of tying the deer hair wings. With the steps and tips below, GFF
makes the tying comparaduns comparaDONE!
A trailing
shuck comparadun is the pattern at-hand, commonly called the
Sparkle Dun. The traditional call for materials in a comparadun
is to use a tailing material such as a few hackle fibers or micro-fibettes.
However, using a dozen-or-so fibers of antron makes this pattern
much more versatile as we explore further in this text. Let's
start!...
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The Bill
of Materials (&
a word on deer hair selection) |
Comparadun
materials are few and simple.
Summer deer hair, tailing material (antron, in this case)
and superfine dubbing material.
Selecting
the proper deer hair for use in a comparadun is critical to
making the fly easy to tie. Choose summer deer hair, hair that
is thin and less straw-like. The dark hair on the left has thinner
hair fibers than the light hair on the right. The thicker the
hair fibers, the harder it will be to manage the wing tying
steps.
Need
more help in selecting deer hair?
Read this
article by GFF Partner Martin Joergensen
or
Read this
article by Chris Helm.
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Step
1.
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One secret
to making the comparadun ride flush in the surface film is to
raise the tail just slightly from the plane of the hook shank.
Do this by building up a slight thread bump at the tail above
the hook barb. It helps to flatten the thread slightly by twirling
the bobbin counter-clockwise to undo the natural twist in tying
thread.
Read more
about
thread control in this article by GFF Partner Martin Joergensen.
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A
thread bump above the hook barb helps lift the tailing fibers.
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Step
2.
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Tying the
antron tailing material is easy. No pain here. Tie the antron on
the hook shank just above the thread bump to make the tail rise
just a tad. Trim the tail to equal the length of the hook shank. |
Secure
the antron on the hookshank from the thread bump to the middle
of the shank.
Trim
at both ends and continue the thread forward to the 2/3rds point
(not shown here).
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Step
3.
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Select a
fair amount of deer hair, looking for an amount, which when splayed,
will cover a 180-degree arc around the top-half of the hookshank.
Study and follow closely the photographs to get a perfect comparadun-style
splay with the deer hair.
Read more
deerhair stacking secrets by GFF Partner Martin Joergensen.
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Be
sure to stack the deer hair tips evenly.
Measure
the deer hair tips to equal the hook shank length.
Secure
the deer hair on the shank with 5-6 tight thread wraps. Hold onto
the stub-ends at all times. Don't worry about the hair flaring
all around the shank; we will fix that in a moment!
Trim
the deer hair at an angle to form an angled transistion from the
deer hair to the tail. (see the picture below)
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Step
4.
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Dubbing the
body is no trick at all!...but there is one trick to making comparaduns
look the way they do! Read the captions below the pictures in
Step 4 to find the secret!
When dubbing,
remember to use fine dubbing and keep the dubbing thin at the
tail. Use a bit more dubbing as you move forward on the hookshank.
I prefer rabbit underfur, muskrat or mink dubbing due to the finess
of the material. If you use rabbit (such as in the pictures to
the right), pre-treat the body with a drop of dry fly floatant
since rabbit fur has a tendancy to absorb water more readily.
Read more
on dry fly dubbing and waterproofing.
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Prepare
the hookshank for dubbing by wrapping thread to create a gradual
transistion from the deerhair to the tail.
Here's
the secret of tying a comparadun! >
wrap 2 turns of dubbing OVER the base of the deer hair, compressing
them in a nifty little bunch.
Now,
pull the deer hair back and continue wrapping the dubbing TIGHTLY
in front of the deer hair base. You have mastered the secret
to making comparaduns!
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Step
5.
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Tie off and
work the deerhair as mentioned in the picture captions.
Need help
with tying off? Read how
to tie a whip-finish here.
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After
tying off using a whip-finish or half-hitch, use your fingers,
work the deer backwards and around the top-half of the hookshank
until you are satisfied with the splayed shape.
A
finished Trailing Shuck Comparadun or commonly called a Sparkle
Dun.
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Looking
at the Sparkle Dun from behind shows the elevated tail,
the tapered body and the 180-degree arc of the deer hair;
all are characteristic traits of a comparadun-style fly.
Final
Thoughts...
A finished
Trailing Shuck Comparadun is one versatile mayfly pattern!
With some ingenuity on-stream, this pattern can be modified in
a variety of ways to fool picky trout. Use these following tricks
to make-do on the stream...
Need a classic dry fly, not a low-riding emerger?
Trim off a few tail fibers to represent a mature adult!
The trout aren't taking the mayflies in the film?
Rub the fly in some sink goop or mud and fish the fly as
an emergent mayfly!
You
have no caddis emergers in your box?
Trim off some of the deer hair from the sides and push the
top hairs back. Swing it as a caddis emerger!
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A Global FlyFisher Publication
Submitted February 7th 2010
Well done, thanks a bunch. My wife has been diagnosed with a nasty lung disease that is caused by bird dust. Her lungs are clearing with medication but our pet parrot and all my fly tying feathers are off to new homes. This will keep me in the game without worries. Don't toss out your favorite hackles chances of them causing a problem on a healthy individual are about zero.