modern Michigan dry fly · early 1980s
Sulfur Dun
Also called Tangerine Sulfur Dun, Tangerine Dream, Smock Sulfur
Solid origin Deschaine's FAOL column and a separate 2009 Michigan blog both credit Smock and describe the same tangerine parachute, though only Deschaine dates it.
History
Bob Smock Sr. of Grayling most likely worked out this parachute sulphur while he owned Old Au Sable Sporting Goods, the downtown store he bought in 1981 and closed in 1986. He had learned to tie from Clarence Roberts in 1956 and dyed his own materials.
The odd part is the color. The hackle and tail are a dull tangerine orange rather than the pale yellow of the natural insect, and tyers dye it themselves because it cannot be bought. A Michigan tyer writing in 2009 said a bright orange copy from a shop failed for him while the right shade worked, though nobody seems sure why.
The fly is still sold in local shops and fished on the Au Sable and Manistee. Smock died in 2005 and his ashes were scattered on the Au Sable.
Materials
| Hook | Dry, sizes 14 to 18 |
|---|---|
| Thread | Yellow 6/0 |
| Tail | A few tangerine-dyed hackle fibers |
| Post | White deer belly hair |
| Body | Yellow-dyed dubbing |
| Hackle | Tangerine-dyed, wound parachute style |
Sources
- Deschaine, T. "Bob's Fly & Hackle." Just Old Flies, Fly Anglers Online, August 26, 2013.
- "Tangerine Dream: Bob Smock's sulfur dun." Yet another damned fly fishing blog (River Raisin Rods), August 24, 2009.
Know more about this fly's history, or spot a mistake? Send a correction.
No photo yet. Every photo on michfly is of a fly tied for the site, so they're added a few at a time.
Original recipe cards for many Michigan patterns are kept at the Michigan Dry Flies archive, built by the late Tom Deschaine.