Riverstone Olive Mayfly Wet Fly
by @dekasso
Wet fly
A mayfly rising through cold, clear current
A size 14 olive mayfly wet fly with an amber vinyl rib body and grey CDC wing, tied for trout in riffles and runs.
An olive mayfly wet fly with long pale tails, a glassy segmented body and a grey upright wing. The body is pale amber vinyl rib, with olive dubbing and a soft olive hen collar at the thorax.
- Imitates
- Olive mayfly emergence, typically spring and autumn afternoons
- Hook
- size 14
- Tippet
- 5Xrule of three
- Pale amber vinyl rib body
- Grey CDC wing over olive thorax
- Soft olive hen hackle collar
- Long light dun tails
- Size 14 curved-shank hook
On the water
Long, pale tails trail behind a body of amber segments that catch the light like wet glass. Up front, a shaggy olive thorax with yellow-green glints sits under a grey tuft of wing. A soft olive collar sweeps back around it all.
Fish it across and down through riffles when olives start to hatch. Let it swing, then let it hang at the end of the drift where the current lifts it. A slow hand-twist retrieve through the tailout keeps the hen hackle breathing.
Vinyl rib makes the body. Wrap it with a light stretch and touching turns, flat side down, so the segments stay even and the amber glows through. Too much stretch thins it out and loses that clear, chunky look.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 5Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, with fluorocarbon tippet to get it down
- Tie to 5X or 6X tippet for clear water and educated trout.
- Swing it across and down, letting it rise at the end of each drift.
- Add a small split shot a foot up the leader to reach deeper runs.
Where and when
- Hatch
- Olive mayfly emergence, typically spring and autumn afternoons
- Target
- Trout
- Water type
- Riffles, runs and pocket water over stony bottoms
- Also fishes
- Also works dead-drifted just under the film in slow glides, or as a dropper below a dry during a sparse olive hatch.
Make it yourself
Intermediate6 materials · 9 steps
- Style
- Wet fly
- Hook
- Curved-shank wet fly hooksize 14
- Thread
- Olive 8/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- TailLight dun hackle fibers
- BodyPale amber vinyl rib
- WingGrey CDC
- ThoraxOlive dubbing
- HackleOlive hen hackle
- HeadOlive thread
Details
- Imitates
- Mayfly
- Colors
- Pale amber, Olive, Grey, Cream
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (9)
- Mount the hook and start the olive thread behind the eye, then wrap back to just past the start of the bend.
- Tie in a sparse bunch of light dun hackle fibers for the tail, about one and a half times the shank length.
- Tie in the pale amber vinyl rib at the bend, flat side down, and build a smooth, slightly tapered thread underbody.
- Wrap the vinyl rib forward in touching turns with a light stretch over the rear two-thirds of the shank, then tie off and trim.
- Tie in a tuft of grey CDC upright at the front of the body, about one shank length tall.
- Tie in the olive hen hackle by its tip just in front of the wing.
- Dub a full, slightly rough olive thorax around the base of the wing up to just behind the eye.
- Wind the hen hackle two or three turns so the fibers sweep back, then tie off and trim the stem.
- Build a small, neat olive thread head and whip finish.
Proportions (5)
- Tail: about one and a half times the hook shank, kept sparse.
- Body: rear two-thirds of the shank, evenly segmented.
- Wing: roughly one shank length, upright over the thorax.
- Hackle: fibers reaching to about the hook point.
- Thorax: front third of the shank, noticeably fuller than the body.
Tips (3)
- Keep the underbody smooth; every bump shows through the amber vinyl.
- Pick out a few thorax fibers with a dubbing needle for a buggy outline.
- Stroke the hen fibers back before winding so they lie in a tidy collar.
Common mistakes (4)
- Crowding the eye: leave space for the head by stopping the thorax a little short.
- Overstretching the vinyl rib: use gentle tension so segments stay plump.
- Too many tail fibers: a sparse bunch looks cleaner and moves better in current.
- Heavy CDC wing: use a single small tuft so the fly sinks and swings.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 14 · Materials only · 12 flies
$55.25
$4.60 a fly
Includes Curved-shank wet fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Curved-shank wet fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$2.95
Materials
- Light dun hackle fibers$11.95
- Other material: Pale amber vinyl rib$4.50
- Grey CDC$6.95
- Olive dubbing$4.50
- Olive hen hackle$11.95
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 14 · Materials only · 48 flies
$105.93
$2.21 a fly
Bought separately $111.50 · you save $5.57
Includes Curved-shank wet fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Curved-shank wet fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$5.90
Materials
- Light dun hackle fibers$23.90
- Other material: Pale amber vinyl rib$9
- Grey CDC$20.85
- Olive dubbing$9
- Olive hen hackle$23.90
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 14 · Materials only · 144 flies
$262.37
$1.82 a fly
Bought separately $298.15 · you save $35.78
Includes Curved-shank wet fly hook · and 8 more
Every item in this kit · 9 items
Hooks & beads
- Curved-shank wet fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$17.70
Materials
- Light dun hackle fibers$71.70
- Other material: Pale amber vinyl rib$22.50
- Grey CDC$55.60
- Olive dubbing$18
- Olive hen hackle$71.70
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 14 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$205.25
$17.10 a fly
Includes Curved-shank wet fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Curved-shank wet fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$2.95
Materials
- Light dun hackle fibers$11.95
- Other material: Pale amber vinyl rib$4.50
- Grey CDC$6.95
- Olive dubbing$4.50
- Olive hen hackle$11.95
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 14 · With vise & tools · 48 flies
$248.43
$5.18 a fly
Bought separately $261.50 · you save $13.07
Includes Curved-shank wet fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Curved-shank wet fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$5.90
Materials
- Light dun hackle fibers$23.90
- Other material: Pale amber vinyl rib$9
- Grey CDC$20.85
- Olive dubbing$9
- Olive hen hackle$23.90
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 14 · With vise & tools · 144 flies
$394.37
$2.74 a fly
Bought separately $448.15 · you save $53.78
Includes Curved-shank wet fly hook · and 17 more
Every item in this kit · 18 items
Hooks & beads
- Curved-shank wet fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$17.70
Materials
- Light dun hackle fibers$71.70
- Other material: Pale amber vinyl rib$22.50
- Grey CDC$55.60
- Olive dubbing$18
- Olive hen hackle$71.70
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
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Where this came from
fly pattern · made
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- wet fly
- mayfly
- olive
- vinyl rib
- cdc
- soft hackle
- trout
- riffles
- amber
- size 14