Tousled Wing BWO Emerger
by @dekasso
Wet fly
An olive caught breaking through the film
A slim BWO emerger in olive and gold on a size 18 curved hook, with a tousled grey Antron wing, for trout taking olives in the film.
A Blue-Winged Olive emerger on a curved hook, caught halfway out of its shuck with a loose, scruffy wing. It has a slim olive thread body ribbed in gold wire, a pheasant tail tail and a spiky olive thorax under grey Antron.
- Imitates
- Blue-Winged Olive emergence
- When
- typically overcast afternoons in spring and autumn
- Hook
- size 18
- Tippet
- 6Xrule of three
- Size 18 curved Tiemco 2487 hook
- Olive thread body with gold wire rib
- Tousled grey Antron emerging wing
- Barred pheasant tail tail
- Spiky olive hare's ear thorax
On the water
A thin olive body wears neat gold bands, and a fan of barred tan pheasant fibers trails off the back. Up front, a bristly olive thorax sits under a wild cloud of grey Antron that catches the light like a wet, half-opened wing.
Fish it in the slow, glassy water where olives struggle to hatch on grey afternoons. Let it hang in the film on a dead drift, or swing it gently at the end of the drift so it lifts toward the surface.
Antron for the wing wants to look unruly. Tie it in short, then pick the fibers apart with a dubbing needle and tear the ends rather than cutting them square, so the wing reads as crumpled and half-free.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 6Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, with fluorocarbon tippet to get it down
- Use 6X or 7X fluorocarbon tippet and a soft cast so it lands quietly.
- Grease the leader to within a few inches of the fly to keep it in the film.
- Watch for subtle bulges and set gently; a small hook needs a light hand.
Where and when
- Hatch
- Blue-Winged Olive emergencetypically overcast afternoons in spring and autumn
- Target
- Trout
- Water type
- Slow glides, flat tailouts and spring-creek seams
- Also fishes
- Also fishes well under a dry as a dropper in riffles, and in stillwater margins when small olives hatch.
Make it yourself
Beginner6 materials · 10 steps
- Style
- Wet fly
- Hook
- Tiemco 2487size 18
- Thread
- Olive 8/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- TailPheasant tail fibers
- RibFine gold wire
- BodyOlive 8/0 thread
- WingGrey Antron yarn
- ThoraxOlive hare's ear dubbing
- HeadOlive 8/0 thread
Details
- Imitates
- Blue-Winged Olive emerger
- Colors
- Olive, Gold, Tan, Pearl grey
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (10)
- Mount the hook in the vise and start the olive thread behind the eye, wrapping a smooth base to the start of the bend.
- Tie in four or five pheasant tail fibers as a tail, about half a shank long.
- Tie in fine gold wire at the bend and bind it down along the shank.
- Build a slim, tapered olive thread body over the rear two thirds of the shank.
- Rib the body with five or six even turns of gold wire, tie off and break the tag.
- Tie in a short length of grey Antron on top just ahead of the body, angled back over the thorax.
- Dub a sparse, rough olive hare's ear thorax around the wing base.
- Pick out the thorax with a dubbing needle so a few guard hairs stick out like legs.
- Tear the Antron to about a shank length and tease the fibers apart so the wing looks loose and uneven.
- Form a small olive thread head and whip finish.
Proportions (4)
- Tail: about half the hook shank, sparse and slightly splayed.
- Body: rear two thirds of the shank, thin and gently tapered.
- Thorax: front third of the shank, a little wider than the body.
- Wing: roughly one shank length, loose and leaning back over the body.
Tips (4)
- Keep the thread flat while building the body so the taper stays smooth.
- Counter-wrap the wire rib so it locks the thread body in place.
- Use a touch of dubbing only; a thin thorax keeps the fly riding in the film.
- Comb the Antron with a dubbing brush for a soft, broken outline.
Common mistakes (4)
- Cutting the wing square makes it look stiff; tear or pull the fibers to length instead.
- Overdressing the body hides the gold rib; build it with thin thread wraps only.
- Leaving the tail too long makes it foul around the bend; keep it near half a shank.
- Crowding the eye with dubbing leaves no room for the head; stop the thorax short.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 18 · Materials only · 12 flies
$31.60
$2.63 a fly
Includes Tiemco 2487 · and 7 more
Every item in this kit · 8 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 2487$6.50
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$2.95
- Fine gold wire$3.25
Materials
- Pheasant tail fibers$4.95
- Grey Antron yarn$3.50
- Olive hare's ear dubbing$4.50
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 18 · Materials only · 48 flies
$50.78
$1.06 a fly
Bought separately $53.45 · you save $2.67
Includes Tiemco 2487 · and 7 more
Every item in this kit · 8 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 2487$13
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$8.85
- Fine gold wire$3.25
Materials
- Pheasant tail fibers$9.90
- Grey Antron yarn$3.50
- Olive hare's ear dubbing$9
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 18 · Materials only · 144 flies
$114.84
$0.80 a fly
Bought separately $130.50 · you save $15.66
Includes Tiemco 2487 · and 7 more
Every item in this kit · 8 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 2487$35
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$26.55
- Fine gold wire$9.75
Materials
- Pheasant tail fibers$24.75
- Grey Antron yarn$10.50
- Olive hare's ear dubbing$18
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 18 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$181.60
$15.13 a fly
Includes Tiemco 2487 · and 16 more
Every item in this kit · 17 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 2487$6.50
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$2.95
- Fine gold wire$3.25
Materials
- Pheasant tail fibers$4.95
- Grey Antron yarn$3.50
- Olive hare's ear 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 18 · With vise & tools · 48 flies
$193.28
$4.03 a fly
Bought separately $203.45 · you save $10.17
Includes Tiemco 2487 · and 16 more
Every item in this kit · 17 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 2487$13
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$8.85
- Fine gold wire$3.25
Materials
- Pheasant tail fibers$9.90
- Grey Antron yarn$3.50
- Olive hare's ear 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 18 · With vise & tools · 144 flies
$246.84
$1.71 a fly
Bought separately $280.50 · you save $33.66
Includes Tiemco 2487 · and 16 more
Every item in this kit · 17 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 2487$35
Thread & wire
- Olive 8/0 thread$26.55
- Fine gold wire$9.75
Materials
- Pheasant tail fibers$24.75
- Grey Antron yarn$10.50
- Olive hare's ear 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
3 iterations led here; the saved one is marked
1
2
3 Saved
Remixes
7 steps back
- Slate Ledge Grizzly Soft Hackle@dekasso · the original
- Grizzly Half Hackle Mayfly Dun@dekasso
- Evening Ember Sulphur Mayfly Dun@dekasso
- Thistledown CDC Olive Mayfly Dun@dekasso
- Bluebird Olive CDC Dun@dekasso
- Lemon Olive Sparkle Dun@dekasso
- Tousled Wing BWO Emergeryou are here
No remixes yet — make your own version.
Where this came from
“make the wing more disheveled not haivng such a straight cut”
fly pattern · made
1 remix
25 — from 1 remix, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- bwo
- emerger
- blue-winged olive
- olive
- gold wire
- antron
- pheasant tail
- trout
- size 18
- film