Olive grizzly hackle

[ian_brown]

I recently got a good deal on olive grizly dry fly hackle in sizes 10, 12, and 14. I'm haveing trouble coming up withuseful patterns that call for this hackle. Any suggestions?

 

[JackM]

Not such a good deal afterall, eh? The larger hackles might be useful to tie bass poppers. You could palmer olive and green and even white wooly buggers with these and maybe even use the largest hackles for wings on a green drake or tails and fins on sculpin patterns.

You can also use it to palmer the body on caddis and stmulator patterns.

 

[jaybo41]

Jack seemed to mention all of the suggestions that I had. Immediately I thought Buggers and Stimulators. Buggers are a staple for me and I've been playing around and tying Stimulators within the past few weeks to toss at some smallies.

 

[RLeeP]

It would probably also make good legs on hopper patterns and save you the nonsense of buying those prefab legs...

 

((OLIVE!!!!)))) Gahhhhh!!
The question IS..with "OLIVE".................WHAT SHADE of olive? Every time I see this color mentioned, I think of the time I went through my tying desk and counted up 41 shades of "supposed olive"!?!
Anyway, sorry, it's embarrassing to have "material flashbacks" like that, in front of people!
One nice thing about Olive, regardless of it's "shade"........... is it redyes very nicely, to BLACK, a much more, useful color, in the sizes you say you have! (DON'T forget, though, to remove one of the larger hackles for your hat!)

 

[ian_brown]

I'll probably end up tying some preposterous stimulators to throw at bass and sunnies.

 

[jayL]

I, unfortunately, own the other quarter of this misbegotten hackle and would just say that it's entirely too stiff and "high quality" to make too many buggers. I'm going to make a bunch of patented Jay hopulators... Maybe a few humpinators too.

It might not be that unfortunate after all.

 

[Padraic]

I would just tie up your favorite flies and give 'em a shot. I have a feeling the color of the hackle won't be deadly. It may even be good. An olive hackled adams? Why not?

 

[ian_brown]

I already tied a parachute adams with it, and it looks pretty good. I figure with parachute patterns I can use a slightly oversized hackle.

 

[sundrunk]

Strip'em down for quill body's. Large Olives of spring, (Drunella cornuta)...Olive spinner bodys are dark green with shades of black. Olive grizz would do just fine...

 

[Padraic]

Yep. Lots of guys say they tye parachutes with a hackle one size larger than "normal".

Always a good idea to carry a couple big flies in your box too. Especially if you fish until it gets dark out.

 

[jayL]

Haha. "If" he fishes til it gets dark out. Ian is the original nighthawk. He's one of the only few people I know that wants to stay as long as I do.

Honestly, though. When I get my part of that stuff from you, Ian... I'm thinkin some big parachute hopper pattern of some sort.

 

[sandfly]

lets see, the gordon has a olive hue...the green drake, blue quills actually have some olive cast to them, sometimes its not the color we see but the color the fish see.....try looking through their eyes....

 

[plumbob]

Like flybinder says there are a lot of different shades. But Olive and green have always been a great color for me out west. I would even play around with using it on a two hackled fly like an Adams. You'll get a little different look with each color hackle you use with it. My first choice would be some caddis pattern. Experiment and when you come up with that killer pattern, have fun with it and charge an arm and leg for the pattern. :-D