When he created his now famous Sparkle Dun, Craig Mathews’ decided he’d put some sparkle in the genealogy of a large attractor fly pattern introduced by Al Caucci and Bob Nastasi in their 1972 fly tying manual “Comparahatch.” Caucci and Nastasi’s fly pattern, called “The Comparadun,” was a modernized variation of “The Haystack,” a relatively simple fly constructed primarily of deer hair. When he tied the Sparkle Dun, Mathews added a Z-lon “shuck” to an already tweaked fly and forever left his mark on the angler’s craft and on successful fly fishing.
Mathews’ Sparkle Dun
Baetis or Blue Winged Olive is hand tied by the professional production tyers at Umpqua Feather Merchants to imitate an adult
Baetis or Blue Winged Olive mayfly. Its design allows it to be highly visible and extremely stable in the water, and the trailing Z-lon shuck adds a bit of extra realism as many adult mayflies.
Specifications:
- This fly pattern was developed by Craig Mathews, one of the world’s leading experts on fly fishing the greater Yellowstone area in the western United States
- The Sparkle Dun has its roots in two older flies: The Haystack and The Comparadun
- Trailing Z-lon shuck adds extra realism
- Baetis or Blue Winged Olive imitation in the adult life stage
- Use as either an impressionistic searching fly or as a realistic imitation when matching the hatch
- Hatches throughout North America occur throughout the year, but are most prolific during December and January
- Fish on a dead drift in medium to slow water adjacent to or below faster flows
- When targeting fish during a prolific hatch, cast upstream and drift through the main current
- Be sure to use lighter terminal tackle when fishing slower eddys and pools
- Cooler, overcast days can produce some of the best hatches of Baetis or Blue Winged Olive mayfly duns
- SIZE 18
When and Where to Fish Mathews’ Sparkle Dun Baetis or Blue Winged Olive
This mayfly dun can be fished as either an impressionistic fly pattern when searching for trout or as a realistic imitation when matching the hatch. When searching, fish this fly below faster riffles, current seams, and even in slower flows adjacent to higher energy spots. Fish this fly pattern throughout the morning and afternoon hours and even into the evening hours. These olive and brown duns are available throughout North American trout waters nearly any month of the year, but their sporadic hatches are most common on overcast afternoons in January and December. These duns will often ride along the water’s surface for considerable distances before fluttering away to streamside vegetation. Look for these classic mayflies as they ride along the surface of the main drift. These adults will collect in the calmer water adjacent to higher energy environments. Eddies and slow pools below longer vegetation rich runs can also be great places to spot hatched adults.
How to Fish Mathews’ Sparkle Dun Baetis or Blue Winged Olive
If there are a good number of Baetis or Blue Winged Olive nymphs with dark wing pads present, look for a solid hatch to begin at any time during the day, especially if weather conditions are overcast and cool. When a hatch is on, these early season mayflies will float for long distances downstream before flittering off to find mates. Trout will generally not follow these tiny morsels, rather they will wait until the hatched duns reach slower water before striking. Trout can also be extremely selective during a particularly strong hatch of adults, so be sure to examine how and where trout are rising and aim your dead drift toward these hot areas. If you find good feeding action in slower water like eddys below rougher water and longer runs, be sure to use longer leaders and lighter tippet and use a good stalking method in order to avoid spooking the target fish. Cast upstream using a reach cast or mend to produce a slow dead drift.
Baetis
Baetis are olive colored mayflies that occur in trout water throughout North America. The wide distribution of this common swimming nymph makes it an important year-round staple in a trout’s diet. During the larval stage, Baetis thrive in the well-oxygenated water of medium to fast riffles and longer runs. Baetis follows the life stages of a typical mayfly life cycle and hatches year-round with more intense emergences occurring warmer months. Baetis is quite similar in appearance to the Blue Winged Olive (Drunella), a genus of mayfly common to the trout waters of northeastern North America. This similarity often causes confusion, but in angling practice, these bugs are fantastic substitutes for one another and their imitations are often considered interchangeable for fishing purposes.
Baetis Adult Life Stage
During its nymph life stage, these strong swimmers are commonly found in many different types of water. The most prolific populations tend to occur in well-oxygenated water; look for them in riffles and longer runs. Because their swimming ability is well-developed, these nymphs will commonly expose themselves by making adventurous trips away from safety just before emergence and subsequent hatching, making an emergent Baetis an important meal for hungry trout. Baetis adults will not spend lots of time on the surface once hatched unless the temperature is cooler, making overcast winter and spring days prime time for anglers looking to hook trout on Baetis fly patterns. These light brown or olive mayfly duns are slender and have two long dark tails. Their wings have a shiny appearance and once hatched, these bugs will flutter away to nearby foliage to seek out mates. These duns are relatively small, though, and trout will not expend much energy when feeding on them. Subsequently, it’s imperative that an angler deliver an adult Baetis to the targeted fish as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Blue Winged Olive
The blue winged olive (Drunella) is a genus of mayfly commonly active in northeastern North America’s trout waters from early spring (May) through the late summer months (August and early September). At a time when caddis hatches are prolific and the mayflies of spring and summer are gone, the blue winged olive offers fly anglers a fantastic late-season chance at fishing a classic mayfly hatch. These insects typically hatch in warmer waters during mid day. The blue winged olive is a crawling nymph that ranges from dark brown to olive in color and is often likened with Baeits, a popular staple of the western trout’s diet.
Blue Winged Olive Adult Life Stage
During its nymph life stage, the blue winged olive (Drunella), a stout crawling nymph, can be found in medium to fast riffles and pockets in the northeastern trout water of North America. These nymphs are most vulnerable just prior to emergence as they are caught in the moving water as they float to the surface to hatch. Once hatched, Blue Winged Olive duns are often quite vulnerable to feeding trout as they float through the main drift and collect in slower water downstream from faster riffles and runs. Blue winged olive adults are most active during the afternoon hours, and the best hatches generally occur in warmer waters from early spring (May) to the late summer months (August and September).
About the Tyer: Craig Mathews
The sport of fly fishing just grabs hold of some people and never lets go. That’s what happened to Craig Mathews, accomplished fly tyer, fly fishing guide, avid conservationist, and owner of West Yellowstone, Montana’s Blue Ribbon Flies. In his career, Craig has done lots to advance the sport, and in 2005 he was named “Angler of the Year” by Fly Rod & Reel magazine. He’s written several books on fly fishing in the western United States and he even teamed with the visionary head of Patagona, Inc. to organize and launch 1% for the Planet, a group of successful companies committed to giving 1 percent of their annual revenues to environmental conservation efforts. Craig continues to employ his strong business acumen and love of fly fishing on a daily basis from his post in West Yellowstone, Montana, helping to push fly fishing on to its next frontier.
Leland on Umpqua
In 1972 a man named Dennis Black and his fly tying skills found themselves in high demand. Mr. Black, then a professional production fly tyer, was famous in the industry for his unsurpassed skill and speed with whipping up tremendously beautiful and precisely constructed flies. It wasn’t long until this young fly tying superstar realized that he ought to take his consistent approach to quality to the next level. Shortly after this realization, a small army of fly tyers had banded together to support Mr. Black’s vision. With the likes of Dave Whitlock, Jack Dennis, and Andy Puyans, Mr. Black was officially in business.
Dennis Black’s new company Umpqua Feather Merchants quickly extended its reach and fly production capabilities with expansion into India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, where the world’s first and full blown “fly tying factories” were built. Since those early days, only the highest standard of excellence has marked Umpqua and this commitment to quality and efficiency continues to spur the company forward. Dennis Black’s innovative vision for “fly production” has truly revolutionized how the fly industry operates and has ultimately made the majority of production flies better. From the first “royalty system” for rewarding the most creative professional fly tyers to streamlining production systems and offering a range of other products, Umpqua Feather Merchants just seems to “do it all.”
Today, Umpqua Feather Merchants is without a doubt the world’s best and most prolific supplier of hand tied fly fishing flies as well as fly tying hooks and materials, and they recently got better! Umpqua’s brand new, state of the art headquarters in Louisville, Colorado marks another paradigm shift in the way fly tying business is done. From its vast warehouse to its specially designed inventory management and tracking system, Umpqua is poised to continue its energetic trajectory and lead the way for the next generation of flies and fly tyers.
Umpqua on Umpqua
"As you may or may not know, we're the largest producer of quality hand-tied flies in the world. We also make available through your local fly shop a wide array of the finest fly-tying hackle and Tiemco hooks.
At Umpqua we offer everything the angler needs to a have a first class fishing experience. (Everything that is, but the water and the fish.)"
Umpqua on Dennis Black and the “Obvious Quest”
“The idea first took shape in the hands of our founder, Dennis Black, back in 1972. As a fast and facile professional fly tyer, Dennis was known for his skill and speed at producing hundreds of dozens of flies each year for the larger mail order houses. But he was also quick to realize how fast the demand for excellent flies would outstrip the abilities of cottage industry types like him.
The Obvious Quest: To create excellent flies in sufficient supply – without sinking his standards. In response, Dennis developed (with characteristic care) a methodical plan: First, he enlisted the tying expertise of the likes of Dave Whitlock, Jack Dennis, Andy Puyans and others, to help him set the standard of excellence for Umpqua flies.
Next, Dennis established the first of what would eventually be five separate fly-tying “factories,” first in India, then in Sri Lanka, and finally in Thailand. The primary focus at each of these factories was on producing the very best fishing flies possible, constructed of the very best materials available. From the beginning, the quantity of flies produced was secondary to the quality and excellence of each fly pattern. These high standards were assured by the personal involvement of the fly designers themselves, and by the ever-increasing skill, imagination and creativity of the Umpqua production fly tiers. Today, you will find no flies more skillfully tied than those available from Umpqua Feather Merchants.
Finally, Dennis created a system of royalty payments, to reward professional tyers like Whitlock, Lefty Kreh, Randall Kaufman, Larry Dahlberg, and Bob Popovics for uniquely good patterns.
The Result: Today, Umpqua produces umpteen thousand dozen flies, from micro-scopic midge imitations to the huge patterns favored by marlin and sailfish. And the "Umpquality" – you’ll see for yourself.”
