Bodkin / Patterns

Olive Hackle

Wet Fly · Trout · Grayling · Beginner · 1 version

Classic Recipe

• Hook standard wet fly / spider, 14-18
• Thread olive (or primrose/yellow) 8/0

Materials

• Body Olive silk (or olive dubbing) on the thread (slim, full shank)
• Rib Fine gold wire (optional) (4 turns)
• Hackle Olive-dyed hen or a soft grizzle-olive hackle, sparse (1-2 turns)
• Head Olive ostrich herl (small)

How to tie it

1. Wax olive silk and wind a very slim body along the shank, adding a fine gold wire rib if you want a little sparkle and durability.
2. Tie in a soft olive hen (or grizzle-olive) hackle by the tip and take just one or two sparse turns as a mobile collar. Keep it under-dressed, spider-style.
3. Stroke the fibers slightly back over the body, whip finish a small olive head and cement.

Tying videos

• Olive Hackle — Fly Fish Food (YouTube)
• Olive Hackle — Trident Fly Fishing (YouTube)
• Olive Hackle — The Fly Fiend (YouTube)

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