B.W.O., Baetis, etc., etc.

Whatever you want to call it, the Blue Winged Olive (slang for Baetis) is the bread and butter for our trout and salmon. Not only do they hatch at times prolifically, and are the first mayfly hatch out of the gate, but they seem to prefer those cloudy, rainy days to do their business. In other words, perfect days for fishing.

In the spring, and for quite a bit of our fishing season in general, Baetis are a key component of our trout’s diet on the Upper Connecticut River. There are many species of Baetids (the proper plural name) nationwide, and more than a few of them reside in the northeast, thus the confusion on what to call them. However, the common name is “Blue Winged Olive”, and that is certainly the name we use most often.

From troutnut.com:

“Baetis nymphs are normally outstanding swimmers, but they are reported to lose this ability when they emerge. They get to the surface by dead-drifting, buoyed by gas bubbles, or by crawling to the surface on some object and letting go to drift along in the film (rather than crawling out). They have trouble breaking through the surface film, escaping their shucks, and drying their wings to take flight, which means that almost any type of surface fly has its uses. Anglers may need to use deep nymphs, floating nymphs, emergers, cripples, or dun patterns during this emergence. Common wisdom says floating nymph and emerger patterns are the most useful.

Dismal weather invites the best hatches of Baetis mayflies; look for them on overcast, rainy days, as long as the water temperature is above 40°F.

Because Baetis mayflies are so often called Blue-Winged Olives, some anglers try to imitate them with flies with blue wings and olive bodies. This is one of the follies of common names. Their wings are various shades of gray, maybe with a slight blue tint, and their bodies are various shades of olive or brown. When you meet a hatch, try to catch one of the live mayflies rather than assuming you know its color.”

Needless to say, there are a lot of patterns to try to emulate the Blue Winged Olive.

Here’s more than a few to get you started:

Nymphs: Jailbird, Little Green Machine, BH Micro May, Anato May

Emergers: Brooks Sprout, Morris May Emerger, Challenged Pheasant Tail, Para BWO Emerger, Almost Dun BWO, Snowshoe Emerger, Nyman’s Cripple

Dries: BWO, CDC BWO, Smokejumper, Adams, Gulper Special, Hacklestacker, Klinkhammer

Yes, it’s good to have at least a few of these patterns in your box when you’re on the Connecticut …