Learn/Fly Box/Small dry/CDC Dark Olive
CD
Small dry

CDC Dark Olive

Spring/autumn Baetis dun
Trout · GraylingSurface

CDC dark-olive dun for the Baetis hatches of spring and autumn — the bread-and-butter river olive.

Fish this when

Cool, overcast days in spring and autumn when Large or Medium Dark Olives are the only bugs moving, on both riffles and slower runs.

Why it works

The dark CDC wing and body read correctly against the low, flat light of early- and late-season hatches, when a paler summer olive pattern looks noticeably wrong.

Naturals it imitates
Large/Medium Dark Olive dun (Baetis)
Typical zone & fishable range
usually
Surface
Film
Subsurface
Deep
Setup sensitivity: medium
Hook range#14–18
Quick facts
Tying difficulty
Intermediate