The Best Anglers Never Stop Learning
The Best Anglers Never Stop Learning
Midges, Blue Wing Olive, PMD and 1 others
Easy - 1-3 Min
Coldwater
It’s a fairly easy tie and because it has only a couple materials, you can do a few variations. To stay relatively true to the pattern, you can:
All are decent variations and the flashier ones work well on clear days.
The key benefit of this fly is it’s simplicity in how it’s tied and it’s slim profile. We often tie flies that are much bulkier than the real imitations. A WD-40 is an ultra slim fly that really looks like a small baetis/BWO nymph or a midge emerging from it’s shuck. Both are strong food sources in early spring through fall with an importance on early spring and late fall for this pattern. It works year round, but early spring and late fall it really seems to shine.
Using this in a traditional or euro nymph set up is a good option or as a dropper behind a dry fly as mentioned in the video. Really no way to fish it wrong as it’s so versatile as both a nymph and as an emerger.
I have particularly good luck when I set it up as my point fly (last fly) in my nymph rig and get it deep in the strike zone with heavier flies or split shot. When there is a heavy fly right above it, that fly bounces along the bottom and the WD-40 floats freely without weight just above the river bottom very naturally. Make sure to leave ample space (long tippet 18-24 inches) between your heavy fly and your WD-40 so it floats naturally and isn’t just dragged by the heavier fly. Any longer than 24 inches however, and you’ll probably not detect many strikes so there is a balance to it.
| Regional Hatch Chart | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Region: West
Blue Wing Olive Sizes: #16 - #24
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Region: Northwest
Blue Wing Olive Sizes: #16 - #24
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Region: East
Blue Wing Olive Sizes: #16 - #24
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Region: Southeast
Blue Wing Olive Sizes: #16 - #24
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Region: Midwest
Blue Wing Olive Sizes: #16 - #24
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| Regional Hatch Chart | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Region: West, Northwest, East, Southeast, Midwest
Midges Sizes: #14 - #26
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| Regional Hatch Chart | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Region: West, Northwest, East, Southeast, Midwest
PMD Sizes: #14 - #20
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| Regional Hatch Chart | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Region: West, Northwest
Trico Sizes: #18 - #26
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Region: East, Southeast, Midwest
Trico Sizes: #18 - #26
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Copyright © 2003 – 2025 MidCurrent LLC, All Rights Reserved.