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Blue-Winged Olives (BWOs) are one of our favorite and reliable hatches around here. They come around in early spring and can happen periodically throughout the spring and into the late fall, especially on overcast days with a drizzle. Here are some effective patterns for you to try out since the first emergence can typically happen around mid-March.

Tying the Improved Galloup’s BWO Nymph (Slide Inn)

The man is well-known for his streamers but he has a lot of other fly patterns out there, including this BWO nymph. If you want something that isn’t too complicated but isn’t just a standard Pheasant Tail nymph, try this guy out.

BWO Soft Hackle (Johnny Utah)

When it comes down to it, my favorite BWO pattern to fish is a simple soft hackle, similar to this. I’ve had great days of fishing this pattern when BWOs were emerging in both spring and fall.

WD-40 Plus (Tightline Productions)

The WD-40 is a great BWO emerger pattern, and this slightly improves on the original.

BWO Improved Sparkle Dun (Tightline Productions)

Craig Mathews (of Blue Ribbon Flies) developed the original Sparkle Dun to imitate emerging mayflies. This is the BWO version of the pattern, which works well!