Al Caucci and Bob Nastasi introduced the Compara-dun style of dry fly in the early 1970 and wrote about it in their manual Hatches (and Hatches II ). Compara-duns are one of the most versatile mayfly patterns in existence representing a low-riding mayfly to near perfection.

The Compara-dun is a simple, durable design that adds only three materials to the hook, floats reasonably well even in broken water, and fools even the toughest trout. The upright fan-wing design triggers strikes from fish feeding on mayfly duns, but because the 180-degree wing also extends an equal distance to each side, Compara-duns have a "footprint" similar to mayfly spinners, which float on the water with wings splayed to the side. This makes the Compara-dun an easy-to-see and effective spinner imitation.

Sparkle Dun

Craig Mathews, who owns Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone, Montana, slightly modified the Compara-dun by replacing the hackle-fiber tails with an amber Z-lon "shuck" that represents the partially empty exoskeleton of a mayfly nymph still attached to the emerging mayfly dun. This adaptation--called the Sparkle Dun--allows you to fish three stages of the mayfly life cycle with a single fly.

Available in our store and Web site in ten different Mayfly patterns, Pro tied on premium Dai-Riki 320 dry fly hooks.