Bluebird Olive CDC Dun
by @dekasso
CDC Dun · Dry fly
Blue bands catching the light on flat water
A size 16 CDC Dun in olive with a sky blue rib and white CDC wing, for trout and grayling during mayfly hatches.
A slim CDC Dun mayfly in olive, sitting upright on a grey slate stone with its white wing raised. The olive thread body carries clear sky blue monofilament ribbing, a speckled Coq de Leon tail and a puff of olive dubbing at the thorax.
- Pattern
- CDC Dun
- Imitates
- Blue-winged olive hatch, typically on overcast spring and autumn afternoons
- Hook
- size 16
- Tippet
- 5Xrule of three
- Sky blue rib over olive thread
- White CDC wing for buoyancy and sight
- Split-look Coq de Leon tail
- Size 16 dry fly hook
- Matches small olive mayfly hatches
On the water
A thin olive body wears four clean bands of sky blue. A white CDC wing fans up from the thorax like a little sail, and long speckled tail fibres trail far behind the bend.
Fish it on smooth glides and pool tails when small olives start drifting. Cast a touch upstream of a rising fish and let it ride drag-free; the white wing stays easy to follow on grey water.
Monofilament ribbing needs even gaps. Wrap it in open turns with steady tension so each band sits flat, and the olive thread shows clearly between them.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 5Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, tapered — longer and finer in flat water
- Rig on 6X tippet with a long, fine leader for flat water.
- Use a powder floatant on the CDC; gels mat the fibres down.
- Dead drift it, then lift slowly before recasting so the wing stays dry.
Where and when
- Hatch
- Blue-winged olive hatch, typically on overcast spring and autumn afternoons
- Target
- Trout, Grayling
- Water type
- Slow glides, flat pools and smooth tailouts
- Also fishes
- Also fishes well as a searching dry on slow spring creeks and lake margins when small mayflies trickle off in light wind.
Make it yourself
Intermediate6 materials · 10 steps
- Pattern
- CDC Dun
- Style
- Dry fly
- Hook
- Dry fly hooksize 16
- Thread
- Olive 8/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- TailCoq de Leon fibres
- RibSky blue monofilament
- BodyOlive thread
- WingWhite CDC
- ThoraxOlive dubbing
- HeadOlive thread
Details
- Imitates
- Mayfly
- Colors
- Olive, Sky blue, White, Ginger brown
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (10)
- Mount the size 16 dry fly hook in the vise and start the olive 8/0 thread just behind the eye.
- Run a thread base back to the bend in tight, flat turns.
- Tie in a slim bunch of Coq de Leon fibres at the bend, about one and a half hook lengths long.
- Tie in the sky blue monofilament at the bend along the underside of the shank.
- Build a slim, tapered olive thread body forward to about two thirds of the shank.
- Wrap the monofilament forward in four or five evenly spaced open turns and tie it off.
- Stack two white CDC feathers tips together and tie them in at the front of the body, upright, about one shank length tall.
- Post the wing with a few thread turns at its base so it stands upright.
- Dub a small pinch of olive dubbing around the wing base to form a neat thorax.
- Build a small olive thread head behind the eye, whip finish and trim the thread.
Proportions (5)
- Tail: about one and a half times the hook shank length.
- Body: rear two thirds of the shank, slim with a gentle taper.
- Wing: roughly one shank length tall, standing upright.
- Thorax: front third of the shank, only slightly fatter than the body.
- Rib: four to five evenly spaced turns.
Tips (3)
- Keep the thread flat by spinning the bobbin counterclockwise for a smooth body.
- Pinch the CDC tips evenly before tying in so the wing has a clean outline.
- Use very little dubbing on the thorax; the fly should look slender.
Common mistakes (4)
- A lumpy body under the rib: build the thread taper first, then add the monofilament wraps.
- Crowding the eye: leave room for the thorax and head before tying in the wing.
- Wing leaning back: post it with a few turns at the base so it stands upright.
- Uneven rib spacing: count your turns and keep steady tension on each wrap.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 16 · Materials only · 12 flies
$34.60
$2.88 a fly
Includes Dry fly hook · and 7 more
Every item in this kit · 8 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$2.95
- Sky blue monofilament$3.25
Materials
- Other material: Coq de Leon fibres$4.50
- White CDC$6.95
- Olive dubbing$4.50
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 16 · Materials only · 48 flies
$66.41
$1.38 a fly
Bought separately $69.90 · you save $3.49
Includes Dry fly hook · and 7 more
Every item in this kit · 8 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$8.85
- Sky blue monofilament$3.25
Materials
- Other material: Coq de Leon fibres$9
- White CDC$20.85
- Olive dubbing$9
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 16 · Materials only · 144 flies
$152.55
$1.06 a fly
Bought separately $173.35 · you save $20.80
Includes Dry fly hook · and 7 more
Every item in this kit · 8 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$26.55
- Sky blue monofilament$9.75
Materials
- Other material: Coq de Leon fibres$22.50
- White CDC$55.60
- Olive dubbing$18
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 16 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$184.60
$15.38 a fly
Includes Dry fly hook · and 16 more
Every item in this kit · 17 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$6.50
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$2.95
- Sky blue monofilament$3.25
Materials
- Other material: Coq de Leon fibres$4.50
- White CDC$6.95
- Olive 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
$208.91
$4.35 a fly
Bought separately $219.90 · you save $10.99
Includes Dry fly hook · and 16 more
Every item in this kit · 17 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$13
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$8.85
- Sky blue monofilament$3.25
Materials
- Other material: Coq de Leon fibres$9
- White CDC$20.85
- Olive 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
$284.55
$1.98 a fly
Bought separately $323.35 · you save $38.80
Includes Dry fly hook · and 16 more
Every item in this kit · 17 items
Hooks & beads
- Dry fly hook$35
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$26.55
- Sky blue monofilament$9.75
Materials
- Other material: Coq de Leon fibres$22.50
- White CDC$55.60
- Olive 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
How it was made
1 iteration led here; the saved one is marked
1 Saved
Remixes
4 steps back
- Slate Ledge Grizzly Soft Hackle@dekasso · the original
- Grizzly Half Hackle Mayfly Dun@dekasso
- Evening Ember Sulphur Mayfly Dun@dekasso
- Bluebird Olive CDC Dunyou are here
Where this came from
“make the rib a bright sky blue translucent”
fly pattern · made
2 remixes
50 — from 2 remixes, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- cdc
- dun
- mayfly
- dry fly
- olive
- blue-winged olive
- coq de leon
- trout
- grayling
- spring creek