for the olive hatches
When creating this palmered hackle wet fly, I wanted a pattern that I could use during an olive hatch or when dark olive was the colour of choice on the day, a palmered hackle wet fly that I could fish just under the surface to suggest a hatching insect. I wanted a dark olive pattern with a bit of flash somewhere in the dressing.
During previous flytying sessions I found a copper rib over gold tinsel gives a rather nice effect and I decided to incorporate this combination of materials into the palmered hackle wet fly dressing. Rather than use a cockerel hackle to palmer the fly I opted for a softer hen hackle to provide added mobility when the fly is retrieved. I envisage this palmered wet fly initially sitting in the surface film once cast onto the water and then it slowly submerging below the surface, when it can then be retrieved, perhaps with it creating a small bulge under the surface as it makes its way back towards the bank or boat.
The dressing itself consists of a gold tinsel tag, a copper wire rib, dark ‘bottle green’ dubbing, a palmered brown-olive hen hackle and a black hen hackle at the head of the fly. I quite like how the palmered hackle shows through and then mixes with the black hen hackle and also how the gold tag adds a bit of sparkle to the rear of the fly.
Dark Olive Palmer – Tag: gold tinsel Rib: copper wire Body: dark ‘bottle green’ SLF Palmered Hackle: brown-olive hen Hackle: black hen
SoftHackles 