Olive Dun
Dreaming of Olive Uprights & LDO’s, I sat at the vise and mashed a couple of Olive Dun variations together.
Size and colours can be changed (as usual) as can the amount of CDC feathers for the wing depending on conditions.
Hope you like it, I do
• Hook Tiemco 900 BL
• Thread 14/0 cinnamon G/G Sheer
• Tails Tostado Claro Coq De Leon
• Rib Pearsalls’ Gold Silk
• Body Olive Brown Spectrablend Dry Fly Dubbing
• Legs Tan CDC
• Wing Natural CDC
1) Set your hook in the vise and apply a layer of thread, which you have just waxed, down to a point halfway down the body. Trim the tag end of thread.
2) Select 4-6 fibres of Coq De Leon and set it on the hook with a couple of ‘flat’ wraps of thread. Note that having the tail approx. the same length of the body works fine.
3) Place a wrap of thread under the tails to lift and splay them slightly before running it in flat wraps back up to the thorax area.
4) Tie in a length of the infamous Pearsalls’ Gold Silk and secure it all the way down the body stopping approx. 2mm from the tail.
5) Wax the thread and apply a fine rope of dubbing. Continue the thread down to the tail to lose the short un-dubbed section of thread.
Wind the dubbing up the hook shank, applying dubbing if required, until a carrot or cigar shape is formed, whichever you fancy.
6) Wind on the ribbing in as many wraps as you see fit – doesn’t the real beastie have 8 or so ‘segments’?
Tie off rib and remove tag.
7) Select CDC feather for the ‘legs’ and place fibres into split thread. There are various methods of installing the CDC into the split thread but always have the prepared feather at hand before splitting the thread. Spinning the bobbin holder anti-clockwise (when looking from above the vise, down toward the bobbin holder) will separate the fibres resulting in a flat thread which can easily be split with your needle. Spin the bobbin holder clockwise (after inserting the CDC fibres) and this will twist the thread locking in the fibres. Wind on as much fibres as you see fit remembering that the effective fibres are the ones underneath or at the side of the finished fly. I often cut unnecessary fibres ‘flushish’ along the top of the shank.
11) Select 3 or 4 decent CDC feathers, align the tips and offer them up to the hook adjusting the tie in position until you are happy with the wing length. Secure with a couple of tight wraps and lock the wing in place with wraps behind the wing and in front of the lifted butts.
12) Whip finish the fly at the head under the lifted CDC butts. Cut the thread tag & then cut the CDC butts as close to the fly head as you require and at whichever angle suits.
Violin! Fly done, Trout in the bag!
Iain
