Blue Wing Olive

Blue Wing Olive

The Blue Wing Olive is one of the most important and reliable hatches in trout fishing — a small Baetis mayfly that emerges throughout the season on rivers, tailwaters, and spring creeks across North America. BWOs are famous for hatching in the worst weather conditions — overcast skies, cold temperatures, and light rain — and for bringing the most selective trout to the surface in a focused, deliberate rise. When BWOs are on the water, trout lock onto the small, olive-bodied duns with remarkable selectivity, and having the right pattern in the right size is the difference between a memorable day and a frustrating one. Our BWO variation delivers the precise olive body and blue-grey wing profile that selective trout key on during these critical hatches.

Pattern Details

• Style: Classic dry fly / Baetis mayfly dun imitation
• Imitation: Baetis spp. — the Blue Wing Olive, one of the most widespread and important mayfly hatches in North American trout fishing
• Body: Olive dubbing — precise color match for the BWO dun
• Wing: Blue-grey — classic BWO wing profile that selective trout key on during heavy emergences
• Best water: Tailwaters, freestone rivers, and spring creeks — wherever Baetis hatch; most productive during spring and fall when BWO hatches are heaviest
• Target species: Trout
• Techniques: Dead-drifted through feeding lanes during BWO hatches; most effective on overcast days and in light rain when hatches are heaviest; match the size to the naturals on the water
• Sizes available: 16, 18

An essential hatch-matching pattern for any serious trout angler — the Blue Wing Olive delivers the precise olive body and wing profile that selective trout key on during one of the most reliable and widespread hatches in North American fly fishing.