Bodkin / Patterns

Blue Winged Olive (Classic)

Dry Fly · Trout · Grayling · Intermediate · 1 version

Classic Recipe

  • Hook Standard dry fly, 14-18
  • Thread Olive 8/0

Materials

  • Tail Medium blue dun cock hackle fibers (6-8)
  • Body Olive dubbing or dyed-olive heron/goose herl (as needed)
  • Wing Dark dun hen hackle tips (2)
  • Hackle Medium blue dun cock (1 feather)

How to tie it

  1. Start thread behind the eye and wrap back to the bend. Tie in six to eight blue dun fibers as a tail, one shank length long.
  2. Dub a slim, slightly tapered olive body forward to the 70% mark. The natural has a distinctly olive-green body with a hint of brown.
  3. Tie in two dark dun hen hackle tips upright at the 70% mark, one wing-length (equal to the shank) tall, and divide them with figure-eight wraps. The dark slate wing is the fly's namesake trigger.
  4. Tie in a medium blue dun cock hackle behind the wings.
  5. Wind 3-4 turns behind the wing and 2 turns in front, tie off.
  6. Form a small neat head, whip finish and cement.

Tying videos

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