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 Sulfer is hand tied by the
professional production tyers at Umpqua Feather Merchants to imitate an
adult Sulfer mayfly. Try this fantastic fly
pattern out next time you’re back east and in the midst of a frenzy of
Sulfer duns.
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
- Sulfer 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, but are most prolific in the northeastern states during June and July
- 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
- Evening hours are the perfect time to catch the height of a classic sulfer hatch
- SIZE 16
When and Where to Fish Mathews’ Sparkle Dun Sulfer
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 primarily throughout the late afternoon and evening
hours. These pale yellow duns have recognizable grey wings and are
available throughout in heavy numbers on North American trout waters,
especially in the northeastern regions, between June and July. These
duns will often ride along the water’s surface for considerable
distances before fluttering away to streamside vegetation. These adults
will collect in the calmer water adjacent to higher energy
environments. Eddys and slow pools below longer vegetation rich runs
can also be great places to spot hatched adults.
How to Fish Mathews’ Sparkle Dun Sulfer
If
there are a good number of Sulfer nymphs present, look for a solid
hatch to begin towards the end of the day, continuing through the late
evening hours. 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.
Sulfer
The Sulfer (Ephemerella dorothea)
is a mayfly that enjoys a healthy and wide distribution in trout water
across North America. The Sulfer can be an important hatch in the
rivers and streams of the northeastern United States. The Sulfer
follows the life stages of a typical mayfly life cycle and generally
hatches in a narrow window from the end of May through the middle
weekend in July. Nymphs tend to be brownish colored with banded legs
and adult duns are a rich sulfer yellow through the abdomen, wings, and
tails.
Sulfer Adult Life Stage
During their nymph
life stage, these crawlers are commonly found inching along rocky and
debris-littered river bottoms. These nymphs thrive in moderate to fast
water. Look for emergers in medium to fast moving riffles, pocket
water, and longer runs. The densest populations of Sulfer emergers and
adult duns are most often observed in areas where water clarity is
high. Sulfer emergers are quite vulnerable for a considerable amount of
time prior to actually hatching into adult duns. Trout can easily nab
these poor swimmers as they struggle to shed their nymphal shuck.
Sulfer emergers frequently get trapped or “hung in their shuck,”
failing to discard it completely and even hatched duns will often show
bedraggled or partially crippled wings. Sulfer adults are bright yellow
color and can often produce excellent results for anglers during the
early summer months when early season hatches are dwindling and late
season hatches of really large mayflies and stoneflies aren’t quite
ready to take off.
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.”