Blue Winged Olive Time

The term Blue Winged Olive refers to small mayflies that generally have an olive body and blue-grey wings in the adult stage. In actuality, there are many many species of mayflies that fall into the BWO category and they can range from dark grey to light green in body and can have dark gray to light gray wings. Most though are olive or medium grey bodied with medium dun wings.

Springtime is known as BWO time on many waters. Hatches are most frequent from March to May and the most common sizes are 18 to 22. Here are a few of my favorite Spring Blue Winged Olive patterns:

1. Parachute blue winged olive - This classic BWO pattern rests low in the water to mimic a hatching insect but offers great visibility to the angler because of the visible parachute post.

2. Blue winged olive sparkle dun - This pattern utilizes a hair wing for good floatation and a z-lon tail to imitate the trailing shuck of a hatching BWO.

3. Blue winged olive bunny dun - The excellent floatation properties of rabbit fur combine with a realistically slim tapered profile to closely imitate adult BWOs.

4. Blue winged olive Barr's emerger - This nymph and emerger imitates the BWO in mid hatch stage and is perfect to use the morning before a hatch and in the early stages of the hatch, or even as a dropper during the middle of the hatch.

5. The micro mayfly nymph - Both the olive and brown versions of this nymph are excellent imitators of the BWO nymph.

Get out on the water and cast some BWOs this Spring. Even though they are small, they hatch in abundance and get the fish and the fishermen excited.