Blue Wing Olive Fly

Overview

The Blue Wing Olive is a long-proven, traditional dry fly for one of the most important hatches in trout fishing: the Blue-Winged Olive, or Baetis. BWOs hatch on rivers across the country in spring and fall, often on cool, cloudy days when few other bugs are out.

Umpqua ties it with a spade hackle tail, a tightly dubbed body, upright wings and a stiff hackle collar on a Tiemco 100 hook. The light but strong Japanese wire helps it sit naturally on the water and hold up when a good fish is on.

How to Fish It

• Rising fish: present it drag-free on 6X tippet a few feet above a riser.
• Cloudy days: BWOs often hatch best on overcast, drizzly days.
• Two-fly rig: trail a small BWO emerger or nymph behind it.
• Keep it high: treat it with floatant and dry it after fish.

Choosing Color and Size

Size 18 matches most Baetis hatches. Go to 20 for small fall BWOs and picky fish, and 14 when larger olives are hatching or you need a more visible fly.