BWO (SwittersB)
A simple Blue Winged Olive pattern comprised of the following materials:
Hook: TMC 100BL, 1x fine wire, dry fly style hook
Thread: 14/0, SHEER, olive green forms the abdomen.
Tail: Gadwall feather fibers, dyed light green (Waters West, Port Angeles, Wa.)
Wing: CDC, Dark Dun (Doug’s Bugs, Santa Rosa, Cal.)
Hackle: Medium Dun, Size 18 (Whiting Farms, Delta, Colo.)
Great pattern! Attractive.
JB
Thread body?
Also…do you fish this high & dry, in the film, or wet?
Ah Good Catch! Yes, thread body. I experimented with two colors of thread to try for a segmented look but settled for the single color of olive thread. I experimented with this the past Summer on PMD’s and it rode in the film with the CDC clearly visible. I could trim the bottom of the hackles to allow it to be totally flush.
Cool fly. What determines the hook you use like flat or down head?? (terminology). Is it dtermined by what the head of fly is or the pattern or ease and what is available?
Some would say tradition or aesthetics or hooking capability. All of those considerations for me. I learned with down eye hooks and they are the most prevalent in use. Some would say the hooking capabilities of a straight or ring eye hook are suspect. It is a hook often seen used for Stimulators. I have never had the difficulties some seem to notice. So, traditionally, the down eye will be frequently used and referenced in patterns. The up eye hook is seen for salmon/steelhead patterns and has to do again with traditions and knots (riffling hitch and turl knots).