Dry fly
Lake Olive
TroutSurface
A stillwater olive pattern — soft hackle, thin body, designed for the emerger rather than the adult. Used on Irish and Scottish lochs where olivaceous duns are a summer staple.
Fish this when
Summer on Irish and Scottish lochs during olive hatches. Fish it under the rise on a long leader, or as a top dropper on a drifting cast.
Why it works
Lake olives emerge in vast numbers on the big Irish loughs. A pattern that imitates the emerger works longer than one trying to match the adult.
Naturals it imitates
Typical zone & fishable range
usually
Surface
Film
Subsurface
Deep
Setup sensitivity: medium
Quick facts
Heritage
ModernClassicHeritage
Classic
· Traditional — no single attributed inventor; a generic stillwater soft-hackle type-pattern
Buy or tie?
Tying a Lake Olive Nymph with Martyn White
Martyn White · canonical
A1 Trout Flies
Good UK stillwater source for FABs, lures, buzzers, blobs, boobies and modern reservoir patterns.
Stillwater Fisheries
UK stillwater-focused fallback for trout flies and stillwater tackle.
Clonanav Fly Fishing
Regional specialist (Ireland (Co. Waterford))
Flies Of Ireland
Dedicated Irish lough-fly specialist; sells this pattern under its exact name.