When the gracious Ephemerella aurivillii emerges they often bring with them good dry-fly fishing. The E. aurivillii is also one of the more common of mayfly species in the later part of summer here in the northern parts of Norway. They often hatch in large numbers when the weather gets overcast and there's some rain falling, but can emerge in most conditions.
My take on the Aurivillii parachute dun is based to match the color of it's natural model, and after trying a few different materials I found the moose mane to be the better option, and it does make this fly a bit unique compared to dubbing, biot or quill body dry flies. I am not the originator for using moose mane as body for dry flies, but I feel this pattern is worth sharing with you, my dear reader.
Aurivillii Paradun
Hook: Standard dry fly hook size 14
Thread: Fiery Brown or Tan 8/0
Wings: Dun colored poly-yarn or Aero Dry WIng
Tail: Gray Dun colored hackle fibers, 6 to 10 at most
Body: Three strands of moose mane
Hackle: Rooster hackle in natural dun color
Thorax: Blend of 2 parts Fly-Rite #19 Light Tan, one part #32 Rusty Olive and one part #22 Cahill Tan.
Step 1: Hook and Thread
Use your favorite standard dry-fly hook, and thread can either be tan or fiery brown. Start the thread behind the eye of the hook and tie your way 2/5th backward, then proceed the thread halfway up again toward the eye of the hook. This marks the tie-in point of the wing-post.
Step 2a: The Wing-post
Take a yarn of dun colored poly-yarn, I would suggest Tiemco Aero Dry Wing in the color Dark Dun. Cut a strand measuring about two inches long, place it under the hook-shank and then fold around the hook-shank.
Step 2b: The Wing-post
Make a few wraps of thread going back and forth to secure the poly-yarn at the right place.
Step 2c: The Wing-post
Tie adjacent wraps of thread around the base of the wing-post and advance upward a few millimeters before continuing in adjacent turns of thread down again. This will ensure a durable wing-post, feel free to add some superglue or varnish to help hardening the base if you like.
Step 3: The under-body
Wrap close turns of thread all the way back until you are almost in line with the the barb of the hook.
Step 4: The Tail
Pick out about six to ten fibers of gray rooster hackle fibers and tie in on top of the hook-shank to make the tail. The tail should be just about the same length as the hook.
Step 5a: The Body
Pick out three fibers of moose mane hair, make sure the are not too dark, nor to bright, but should all be in different nuances of creamy gray.
Step 5b: The Body
Wrap your thread upward the body in adjacent turns, while also making sure you have a smooth and tapered foundation to wrap your body over.
Step 5c: The Body
Now to wrap the body. Coat the under-body with a thin layer of superglue and wrap the body before the glue sets. Take hold of all three strands of moose mane and wrap them simultaneously. When you have a nice body complete, tie off the moose mane and coat the whole abdomen with a layer of varnish.
Step 6: Tie in the Hackle
Select a gray dun colored rooster hackle and trim of the fibers at the bottom, tie in so that the hackle-stem is well secured, and all the way up the foundation of the parachute post. Make sure that the underside of the hackle is facing outward.
Step 7: Dub the Thorax
Make a blend of 2 parts Fly-Rite #19 Light Tan, one part #32 Rusty Olive and one part #22 Cahill Tan. I had to use this mixture, but other gray'ish olive dubbings may be used.
Step 8: Wrap the Hackle
Wrap the hackle in three equal turns around the post. Secure the hackle by the head with a few wraps of thread, fold the feather backward and complete the head. Finish off with a few turns of whip-finish and trim off the thread and hackle-point.
Step 9: Trim down The Wing
At last to trim the parachute-wing. Make sure not to make it too long, as this will only help make the fly more unstable on the water. The ideal length is just slightly longer than the hackle. Varnish the head at last and your perfect parachute is ready. Tight lines!
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All photos are taken by me and shall not be used without permission.