Gold Ribbed Olive Dun · Dry fly
Olive and gold drifting over clear stones
A size 16 olive mayfly dun with a gold-ribbed floss body and split tail, tied for trout during olive hatches.
An olive mayfly dun hovers over a clear, stony streambed with its split tail and grey wing swept back. The smooth olive floss body carries a bright gold tinsel rib, finished with a fuzzy grey thorax.
- Pattern
- Gold Ribbed Olive Dun
- Imitates
- Olive mayfly hatches, typically overcast afternoons in spring and autumn
- Hook
- size 16
- Tippet
- 5Xrule of three
- Olive floss body, gold tinsel rib
- Split Microfibbet tail for balance
- Grey dun hackle-fibre wing
- Fuzzy grey rabbit thorax
- Size 16 dry-fly hook
On the water
Olive floss wraps the body in a smooth, even sheen, banded by a thin gold rib. Long pale tails fan out behind. Up front, a grey wing leans back over a scruffy thorax, the colour of wet river rock.
Fish it in clear riffles and glides when small olives come off on grey afternoons. Cast upstream and let it drift dead, with no drag, over the seams between the stones.
Split tail first. A small ball of thread under the tail fibres spreads them into a wide V, and that keeps the fly sitting level on the water.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 5Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, tapered — longer and finer in flat water
- Rig on 5X or 6X tippet so the fly drifts without drag.
- A light floatant on the wing and thorax keeps it riding high.
- Dead drift only; mend early to keep the tail from swinging.
Where and when
- Hatch
- Olive mayfly hatches, typically overcast afternoons in spring and autumn
- Target
- Trout
- Water type
- Clear riffles, glides and slow runs over stones
- Also fishes
- Slow pools and spring creeks during light olive hatches, and smooth tailouts in the evening when trout sip quietly.
Make it yourself
Intermediate6 materials · 10 steps
- Pattern
- Gold Ribbed Olive Dun
- Style
- Dry fly
- Hook
- Dry-fly hooksize 16
- Thread
- Grey 8/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- TailLight dun Microfibbets
- RibFine gold tinsel
- BodyOlive floss
- WingGrey dun hackle fibres
- ThoraxGrey rabbit dubbing
- HeadGrey 8/0 thread
Details
- Imitates
- Mayfly dun
- Colors
- Olive, Gold, Grey, Pale dun
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (10)
- Mount the hook in the vise and start the grey thread behind the eye, running it back to the bend.
- Build a tiny ball of thread at the bend to act as a splitter.
- Tie in two or three Microfibbets on each side of the ball so they flare into a V, about one shank length long.
- Tie in the fine gold tinsel at the bend, leaving the tag ready for ribbing.
- Tie in the olive floss and wrap a smooth, slightly tapered body over the rear two thirds of the shank.
- Spiral the gold tinsel forward in five or six evenly spaced turns and tie it off.
- Tie in a bunch of grey dun hackle fibres on top, sloping back over the body, about one shank length long.
- Dub a loose, shaggy thorax of grey rabbit around the base of the wing.
- Pick out a few dubbing fibres to suggest legs.
- Build a small, neat thread head and whip finish.
Proportions (4)
- Tail: about one hook shank length, split into a wide V.
- Body: rear two thirds of the shank, tapering slightly toward the thorax.
- Wing: roughly one shank length, sloping back at about 45 degrees.
- Thorax: front third of the shank, a little fuller than the body.
Tips (3)
- Wrap floss flat and untwisted for a glassy, even finish.
- Keep rib turns evenly spaced so the gold bands read clearly.
- Use sparse dubbing on the thorax; a few picked-out fibres float better than a dense ball.
Common mistakes (4)
- Tail fibres bunching together: build the thread ball first and tie fibres on its sides.
- Lumpy body: lay a smooth thread underbody before wrapping the floss.
- Wing too bulky: use a modest bunch of hackle fibres so the fly lands softly.
- Crowded eye: leave room behind the eye before adding the thorax.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 16 · Materials only · 12 flies
$43.10
$3.59 a fly
Includes Dry-fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry-fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Grey 8/0 thread$2.95
- Fine gold tinsel$3.25
Materials
- Light dun Microfibbets$3.50
- Other material: Olive floss$4.50
- Grey dun hackle fibres$11.95
- Grey rabbit dubbing$4.50
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 16 · Materials only · 48 flies
$69.83
$1.45 a fly
Bought separately $73.50 · you save $3.67
Includes Dry-fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry-fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Grey 8/0 thread$5.90
- Fine gold tinsel$3.25
Materials
- Light dun Microfibbets$3.50
- Other material: Olive floss$9
- Grey dun hackle fibres$23.90
- Grey rabbit dubbing$9
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 16 · Materials only · 144 flies
$168.17
$1.17 a fly
Bought separately $191.10 · you save $22.93
Includes Dry-fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry-fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Grey 8/0 thread$17.70
- Fine gold tinsel$9.75
Materials
- Light dun Microfibbets$10.50
- Other material: Olive floss$22.50
- Grey dun hackle fibres$71.70
- Grey rabbit dubbing$18
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 16 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$193.10
$16.09 a fly
Includes Dry-fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry-fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Grey 8/0 thread$2.95
- Fine gold tinsel$3.25
Materials
- Light dun Microfibbets$3.50
- Other material: Olive floss$4.50
- Grey dun hackle fibres$11.95
- Grey rabbit dubbing$4.50
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 16 · With vise & tools · 48 flies
$212.33
$4.42 a fly
Bought separately $223.50 · you save $11.17
Includes Dry-fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry-fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Grey 8/0 thread$5.90
- Fine gold tinsel$3.25
Materials
- Light dun Microfibbets$3.50
- Other material: Olive floss$9
- Grey dun hackle fibres$23.90
- Grey rabbit dubbing$9
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 16 · With vise & tools · 144 flies
$300.17
$2.08 a fly
Bought separately $341.10 · you save $40.93
Includes Dry-fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry-fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Grey 8/0 thread$17.70
- Fine gold tinsel$9.75
Materials
- Light dun Microfibbets$10.50
- Other material: Olive floss$22.50
- Grey dun hackle fibres$71.70
- Grey rabbit dubbing$18
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
The creator
Remixes
1 remix of this
Where this came from
“Add gold tinsel rib to body”
fly pattern · made
1 remix
25 — from 1 remix, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- mayfly
- dun
- olive
- dry fly
- gold rib
- split tail
- trout
- size 16
- floss body