Skip to content
The Woolly Gentleman logo

The Woolly Gentleman

Every Fly Has a River · Every River Has a Tier

ShopSubscribeOur TiersJournalFind Your FliesThe CraftThe Story
Home/Shop/Comparadun
ComparadunDry Flyintermediate

Rocky Mountain West

Comparadun

$3.50

Available Sizes#12 - #22
Color Variations
OliveTanCreamGray

The Comparadun was born from the radical notion that maybe trout do not care about hackle as much as fly tiers do. Al Caucci and Bob Nastasi created a fly that sits in the film with a deer hair wing fanned like a tiny satellite dish, and it turns out the fish agreed with their thesis. On smooth spring creeks where trout have earned PhDs in pattern recognition, this is often the last fly standing between you and a blank day.

Quick Facts

TypeDry Fly
Difficultyintermediate
SeasonsSpring, Summer, Fall
Target SpeciesRainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
Sizes#12 - #22
Best LocationsHenry's Fork, ID; Missouri River, MT

Where to Fish It

Henry's Fork

ID · Spring Creek

Missouri River

MT · Tailwater

Map unavailable. Locations for Comparadun: Henry's Fork, ID; Missouri River, MT

Related Reading

seasonal playbook

The Summer Guide: Long Days and Willing Fish

Summer is fly fishing's season of abundance. Sixteen-hour days, prolific hatches, aggressive fish, and the full spectrum from mountain trout to saltwater flats. This is your playbook for making the most of the warmest, longest, most generous months of the fishing year.

species science

How Trout See Your Fly: The Science of Color and Light

Trout don't see the world the way we do. They perceive ultraviolet light, detect motion through contrast rather than color, and see a dramatically different fly at ten feet of depth than at two. Once you understand their four-cone visual system, you'll never choose a fly the same way again.

hatch guide

The Complete Guide to Mayfly Hatches

Mayflies are the foundation of trout-stream entomology. This guide covers every major hatch — BWOs, PMDs, Green Drakes, Sulphurs, Tricos, and Hendricksons — with the biology, timing, and fly selections you need to fish them effectively across the country.

hatch guide

Emerger Patterns: Fishing the In-Between

Trout eat more insects during emergence than at any other stage. Emerger patterns — flies that imitate the critical moment when a nymph transforms into an adult in the surface film — are the most consistently effective dry flies in fly fishing. Here is the science and the technique behind fishing the in-between.

technique

Nymph or Dry? The Decision That Changes Everything

Ninety percent of a trout's diet is consumed subsurface. Yet ninety percent of the magazine covers show a dry fly floating on calm water. The decision between nymphing and dry-fly fishing isn't about preference — it's about reading the situation and making the choice that puts your fly where the fish are actually feeding.

You Might Also Like

Parachute AdamsDry Flybeginner

Parachute Adams

$2.95

Rocky Mountain West

#12 - #22

Tied by Andy Carlson

The universal dry fly. Grizzly hackle, white post, dubbed body. If you cannot identify the hatch, tie on an Adams.

Standard GrayFemale (yellow egg sac)

Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout · Cutthroat Trout · Brook Trout · Mountain Whitefish

SprSumFallWin
View Details →
Elk Hair CaddisDry Flybeginner

Elk Hair Caddis

$2.95

Rocky Mountain West

#12 - #18

Tied by Chris Krueger

Al Troth's iconic caddis imitation. Elk hair wing, palmered hackle. Floats like a cork in fast water.

TanOliveBlack

Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout · Cutthroat Trout · Brook Trout

SprSumFallWin
View Details →
Sparkle DunDry Flyintermediate

Sparkle Dun

$3.50

Rocky Mountain West

#14 - #22

Craig Mathews' flush-floating mayfly emerger. Deer hair wing, trailing Z-lon shuck. Sits in the film like a natural.

OliveTanGrayRusty

Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout · Cutthroat Trout

SprSumFallWin
View Details →
StimulatorDry Flybeginner

Stimulator

$3.50

Rocky Mountain West

#8 - #16

Oversized attractor dry that suggests stoneflies, caddis, and hoppers depending on size and color. A western staple.

OrangeYellowRoyalOlive

Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout · Cutthroat Trout · Brook Trout

SprSumFallWin
View Details →
Blue Wing Olive (BWO)Dry Flyintermediate

Blue Wing Olive (BWO)

$2.95

Rocky Mountain West

#16 - #22

Mayfly imitation for Baetis hatches. Olive body, dark dun wings. The cold-weather dry fly that saves slow days.

OliveDark OliveGray-Olive

Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout · Cutthroat Trout

SprSumFallWin
View Details →
Pale Morning Dun (PMD)Dry Flyintermediate

Pale Morning Dun (PMD)

$2.95

Rocky Mountain West

#14 - #20

Ephemerella mayfly imitation in pale yellow. One of the most important western hatches from June through August.

Pale YellowSulphurRusty

Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout · Cutthroat Trout

SprSumFallWin
View Details →

The Woolly Gentleman

Every Fly Has a River · Every River Has a Tier

America's curated artisan fly marketplace. Every pattern hand-tied by the people who fish these waters.

Join the mailing list. We will tell you what is hatching.

The Shop

  • Browse All Flies
  • Our Tiers
  • Find Your Flies
  • The Collection
  • Monthly Delivery
  • The Journal

Fishing Regions

  • Gulf Coast & Emerald Coast
  • Florida Keys
  • Northeast & Mid-Atlantic
  • Rocky Mountain West
  • Pacific Northwest
  • All 10 Regions

The Gentleman

  • Our Story
  • Nationwide
  • hello@thewoolygentleman.com

© 2026 The Woolly Gentleman. All rights reserved.

Privacy Policy|Terms & Conditions

Curated with conviction. Tied with pride.