Blue Winged Olive (Spinner)
A spinner fly imitating Baetis, fished in March, April, May, September, October, November across the Northeast, Midwest, Rocky Mountain, Pacific Northwest.
Open in Hatch Matcher →Quick facts
- Stage: Spinner
- Imitates: Baetis
- Hook sizes: #18, #20, #22
- Difficulty: Advanced
- Water temp: 42–55°F
- Water types: Freestone, Spring Creek, Tailwater
- Best months: March, April, May, September, October, November
- Regions: Northeast, Midwest, Rocky Mountain, Pacific Northwest
- Target species: Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Whitefish, Grayling
How to tie the Blue Winged Olive (Spinner)
Hook: Tiemco TMC 100, sizes 18-22
Thread: Uni 8/0 Olive
Materials
- Hook: Tiemco TMC 100, #18-22
- Thread: Uni 8/0 Rusty Brown
- Tail: Blue dun hackle fibers (split, long)
- Body: Rusty olive dubbing or brown thread
- Wing: Clear or white poly yarn (spent, figure-eight)
- Thorax: Dark olive dubbing
Tying steps
- Mount hook. At mid-shank, tie in a length of white poly yarn and figure-eight to form spent wings.
- Wrap thread to bend; tie in 6-8 blue dun fibers as a long split tail.
- Dub a slim rusty olive body from bend to just behind wings.
- Dub a small dark olive thorax figure-eighting around the wing tie-in point.
- Build a neat head, whip finish, head cement.