Tying the PED (Performance Enhancing Dun)

Tying the PED (Performance Enhancing Dun)

Spanish split wing style CDC dry flies have been a very popular style of pattern for a while in the competitive fly fishing scene. That popularity has spread throughout Europe but, until recently, not many fly anglers in North America have taken much notice of them.

CDC split wing dry fly patterns have a lot of benefits. They were designed specifically to be cast on very long Spanish style dry fly leaders. The CDC wings fold into the sides of the pattern when they are cast through the air and then the wings spring back into their original form before the fly lands on the water. These aerodynamic properties also make them very good patterns to cast with lighter nymphs on a Euro nymphing leader. In addition, the wing ensures the pattern lands upright every time you complete a cast. And, of course, the wing provides a convincing profile to the trout while simultaneously sitting the pattern flush in the surface film. In flat water with, this fly pattern posture is often critical to convince fussy trout that your artificial imitation is actually a natural insect.

I was lucky enough to be introduced to this style of pattern by my Spanish friend Pablo Castro Pinos. As the kids would say, he is the OG of the Spanish style of dry fly fishing and of split wing CDC dry flies. He has a simple hare's ear version of this pattern we call the Monster that has been a staple in my boxes since we fished together back in 2019. 

Just like many other dry fly wing styles, the CDC split wing style provides a platform for lots of potential patterns. I think of it as a dry fly category just like parachute, thorax dun, Catskill style, hackle stacker, and other categories of dry flies. As such, there are all sorts of established popular versions of these flies in Spain, but there is always room for adapting the CDC split wing style with various materials to match local hatches. 

Since I fished with Pablo in 2019, like any fly tyer would do, I've experimented with various iterations on his split wing dry flies. One of my favorites for matching mayfly duns is a fly I call the Performance Enhancing Dun, which is the subject for this tutorial. 

A few years back I was at a Fly Fishing Team USA competition in Oregon. I was having a fun conversation with Ethan Law about fly names which somehow became interwoven with performance enhancing drugs. He threw out the fly name Performance Enhancing Dun. I laughed and told him I was stealing it for this pattern since it was brilliant. 

The PED (Performance Enhancing Dun) combines the CDC split wing style with the fairly realistic body that a stripped peacock quill provides. It matches small mayfly duns well but also has the small edition of a tiny bit of flash to set it apart from other mayfly duns in the drift. The color can be adapted to whatever mayfly species you have in your local rivers. I find myself fishing Baetis/blue winged olive hatches a lot on my local rivers. This pattern tied with natural or olive peacock quills is the perfect imitation of these mayflies. It has become one of my go to patterns for this hatch. 

You can watch the tutorial for this pattern by clicking this link. Don't worry, the tutorial is a little bit long because I explain some options you have for tying the pattern. But it is a very simple dry fly, and you can tie this fly quickly once you get in the groove. 

Recipe for the pattern:

Back to blog