The Flying V: A Blue Wing Olive Pattern for Flat Water

Tie by Sam Wike

The Flying V is another productive creation from Sam Wike’s vice, and was spawned in his attic outside Great Falls, Montana. The pattern was created to solve some of those perplexing mayfly hatches on the nearby Missouri River, a tailwater with scads of 16 to 22-inch rainbows and browns swimming in it. The river is popular and, therefore, heavily pressured during those noted mayfly hatches, which means the fish see a lot of flies floating over their heads. The Flying V could match any of the area's major mayfly hatches but Wike created it to specifically match the early season blue-wing olive and March brown emergences, which start in March and run into May. The pattern is easy to tie (bonus), easy to see on the water (double bonus), and still looks very realistic (you got it: triple bonus). That makes it a great tailwater pattern, especially in flat-water stretches where the trout get plenty o’ time to look at a pattern.

Tie couple dozen of these during "Dry" Fly January and you won't be disappointed come spring, no matter where you choose to match BWO and March brown hatches.

The Flying V

Materials

Hook: Genryuu 406 Dry Fly

Spent Wing:  EP Trigger Point Fibers (CDC dun coloration)

Wing:  CDC tufts (natural)

Thread: Nano Silk 12/0 Olive

Body:  Goose biot (scavenged from local golf course)

Body:  Superfine Dry fly dubbing

Tail:  Wood duck tail feathers

Tying Tips:

This fly is all about silhoutte and not scaring off spooky fish on flat water. The spent wing is overly dark on purpose to cast the right shadow of a spent mayfly wing. One or two wraps between the wood duck on the tail feathers is all that is needed to keep that tail split and looking correct on the water. Make sure anything you wrap down the body is even so that when you wrap the goose biot up the body you get a nice thin and uniform look up the body.  ~ Sam (Ducks Fly Together)