Olives

[steelertrout1949]

March and my thoughts have turned to olives. Any one have a particular soft hackle or flymph they tie for the spring olives?
I have used Dave Hughes little olive flymph with some sucsess.

[Soft-hackle]

Little Olive Flymph-my version-14,16,18

Hook: Standard wet-fly, 14-18

Thread: Olive or gray

Ribbing & Tag: fine copper wire

Abdomen: Olive rabbit dubbed Leisenring style

Hackle: Gray Brahma Hen wound through the thorax. (Note: The hackle used had blue dun tips with a dark dun list, and was from Whiting.)

Thorax: Dark gray colored rabbit dubbed Leisenring style

Also like Greenwells flymph I tie





Greenwell’s Flymph

Hook: Standard wet-fly, 12-16

Thread: Black or olive

Ribbing & Tag: Flat gold tinsel

Body: Olive yellow rabbit dubbed Leisenring style

Hackle: Greenwell’s hen, wrapped through the thorax

Thorax: Dark black-brown rabbit dubbed Leisenring style

I ralso use and like Hans' Partridge & Olive Emerger tied in about size 14 or smaller as needed. For the smaller sizes, If I can not fine partridge hackle small enough, I use gray hen hackle. All these patterns work very well for the olives.

Mark

[Liam]

This is what I tie for small olives. As you can see, I tie several variations- they all seem to work equally as well. Pardon the mess, they have been fished. This brings up a drawback to peacock quill bodies- they are not all that durable, but they look so good I can't stop tying them! Perhaps a fine rib would help, hmmmm... I haven't tried it yet.
Wee Olive

Hook-Partridge TWH #18 (or Captain Hamilton L3A's if you are lucky enough to have some)
Thread-Olive Pearsall's
Body-Peacock Quill dyed light olive and stripped
Thorax-steel blue-gray mole fur
Hackle- Left fly- Chinese partridge, unspeckled Right fly- French partridge neck

I'm not sure these are a great imitation, but I always have luck with them when olive's are about.

[Liam]

Mark, I find the chinese skins, because the birds are smaller, seem to have hackles #16 and smaller. I'm sure you've thought of that, but the one on the left above is tied with chinese partridge.

[Pat M]

Patterns are pretty simple but keep in mind that depending on where you live the colorization will differ. Out
here in Utah I've seen Olives that have been brown, brown/greenish, even a light blue/gray. I usually try to
get a sample and take it home and try to create a pattern based on the waters I fish. So far its been playing out
in my favor. However looking at Mark's pics those would work fine here also. I guess I go a little further to
dial them in.

Pat~

[55dougie]

Liam, I tie my BWO softies with peacock quill too..... I put a touch of super glue on the thread base before winding the peacock forward , this GREATLY improves the life of the fly... .. Doug.

[Liam]

Liam, I tie my BWO softies with peacock quill too..... I put a touch of super glue on the thread base before winding the peacock forward , this GREATLY improves the life of the fly... .. Doug.

That's the kind of thing that someone tells you and you feel kinda stupid for not having thought of it yet! Thanks. I new I didn't want to varnish over the body...

[55dougie]

That's the kind of thing that someone tells you and you feel kinda stupid for not having thought of it yet! Thanks. I new I didn't want to varnish over the body...

Liam, you're welcome..... PS. I forgot to mention how nicely you tied those flies. I really like that Chinese partridge... Dougie.

[Liam]

Thanks for the compliment. The heads are shameful. It's funny how when I tie my flies for fishing little things like that don't bother me- then the camera comes and you can see every little mistake!

[carterastraton]

the pics look great...... just where are the mistakes? i don't see any