FLY
Dry Fly
Thunderhead
Tied by Darrell Olson
Thunderhead recipe
| Hook | MUSTAD 94840 OR 94833, Size 10 (Size Range 10 - 18) |
|---|---|
| Thread | 8/0 Black |
| Tail | Natural Deer Body Hair |
| Wing | White Calf Hair |
| Body | Micro Fine Dry Fly Dubbing - Red Quill |
| Hackle | Brown Rooster Hackle |
About this fly
The Thunderhead is a popular, high-floating attractor dry fly from the Great Smoky Mountains, developed by Fred Hall, resembling an oversized, bushy Adams Wulff with a deer hair tail and calf hair wings for excellent visibility and buoyancy, making it ideal for fast, freestone streams and effective for general mayfly imitation, especially with a dropper nymph.
What the Thunderhead imitates
- Mayfly dun (adult dry) (dun)
Tied for: Trout (general)
Where the Thunderhead came from
- Derived from Adams. Described as an Adams with a Wulff-style hair wing; name likely from Thunderhead Mountain/Prong.Source: On The Fly South: Thunderhead
- Originated by Fred Hall, Bryson City, North Carolina. Designed for rough Smokies water; no date. / Independent second source agreeing on Hall.Source: Carolina Sportsman: Oldies but goodies still work great for trout | Garden & Gun: Five Classic Southern Trout Flies
Where sources tell it differently, each account is listed with its own source.
Inside the vault every material on this fly opens to its own card, and you can save the fly to your own boxes.
