Favorite stonefly pattern(s)?

[Chris_NH 0]

Hi All,

Curious about your favorite, trout-catchingest stonefly patterns. Particularly interested in patterns that aren't very complicated and don't take more than 10 minutes to tie.

 

I've experimented with a few and have had no more luck with the super difficult to tie realistic ones than the stripped down simpler versions. What's your experience been?

 

 

[Dave G. 0]

For a dry I use a Stimulator.

 

In the big stonefly hatches in Maine I don't tie specific stone fly nymphs at all. I use my peacock herl, grizzly hackled and black tail woolly buggers. Pretty good sized too and with a fair amount of weight wound on, Maybe size 8 in the large black stone fly season but I have evven used size 6.. The biggest land locked salmon in Maine that any of our group has caught was 24" and caught on one of those in stone fly season. Here is my theory; Stone flies do not hatch out of the water surface at all, there is no emerger to speak of but they are strong swimmers and swim to shore where they climb up on rocks, hatch, then later fly back out over the water. A woolly bugger is not a bad simulation at all of the swimmers. I tie them fairly bulked up too, it's simulating active stone fly nymphs swimming to shore. Not relatively dormant ones tumbling on the bottom. All I know is that they repeatedly get good sized fish for me/us in the right conditions..

 

There is a place for a nymph, to me that should be heavily weighted and fished deep as if tumbling. When I used to tie these, I used twin black goose biots for the tail, black chenille body and twin wing cases tied fairly traditionally just in doubles. Grizzly or furnace hackle or badger hackle collar. A nice added touch that makes it buggy is to make twin wing cases out of peacock herl. No self respecting larger trout can resist peacock herl. I caught brookies on these but nothing like with the bugger. The bugger out produced the nymph so I went with the flow.

 

Oh and I only fish the large stoneflies, I don't do the little Yellow Sally's.

[whatfly 0]

Depends on which hatches you are talking about. No idea what your hatches are like in NH, but I would agree with Dave G. that a Stimulator in the right size and color will serve most situations. Anything from a 4 to a 12 depending on which hatch you are trying to match. For nymphs, there are a ton, although a Superfloss Rubberleg (aka Pat's Rubberleg) again in a range of sizes will cover a pretty good range of bugs. If you are looking for a bit more of a challenge, Mercer's Poxyback Stonefly is an effective pattern as well. Many others out there but not sure how much use they would be in the East. Check a hatch guide for your region, which should give you plenty of options.

[Cold 0]

Dries: I don't bother. There's no significant adult stonefly topwater action in my area, and certainly nothing that can't be easily approximated with a caddis dry in a similar size and shade. So...EHC, Stimmies, etc.

 

Nymphs: I rarely nymph, but when I do, stoneflies are a go-to. For little ones, I'll use a copper john in the appropriate color (yellow & olive, yellow & copper, copper & black alternative wire rib in addition to full copper and full black), for medium ones (say...12-10) I'll use a woven pattern...lead wire tied to both sides of a curved shank for a wide, flat profile, woven embroidery floss abdomen, and a shaggy dub & hackle thorax with a wing case of scud back or swiss straw, or whatever I have on hand. For the big stones, I'll use a fairly traditional bitch creek nymph, woven up with micro chenille, white or variegated rubber legs fore and aft, and lots and lots of lead (big bead and a full body under-wrap at a minimum, usually with a second layer of lead up in the thorax region. If I'm using these, I want them to sink like a rock and stay down, so the more weight the better. Sometimes I'll use one in lieu of lead on the rare occasions I bother with a tandem rig, tying a smaller pattern like a #14 GRHE or PT off the tag end. The big bitch creek gets taken over the smaller fly with enough regularity to keep doing it.

[Chris_NH 0]

Interesting. I meant nymphs - like Cold said I almost never see a hatch of stoneflies.

 

My go to has been a bastardized hare's ear looking beadhead on a 2x or 3x long 10, 12 or 14 in either yellow/brown or black. Goose biots for rear tail and I don't bother with any other legs - just use a heavy dub for thorax that includes some rubber that I pick out with a bodkin. And I've had some luck with the little tiny black stones on a #16 or 18 using a real thin spinnerbait skirt for thin little rubber legs.

[Bob Sc 0]

Take a look at the Brooks Stone. Easy to tie if you have the grizzly and brown hackle. This pattern has been around a long time and is still very good.

[Chris_NH 0]

Take a look at the Brooks Stone. Easy to tie if you have the grizzly and brown hackle. This pattern has been around a long time and is still very good.

Thanks. Found instructions via google search. Looks interesting. And fairly quick to tie. Reading the info on this page it had some real thought behind the round design. Suppose there has got to be something to it..

http://stevenojai.tripod.com/goldstone.htm

[Cold 0]

Yep, that's one side of the "in the round" philosophy, very well exemplified.

[oldtrout58 0]

I've caught a lot of trout using Mercer's golden stone/poxyback stone patterns.

[Western Trout Hunter 0]

You will hardly ever see stone flies "hatching" they crawl to land and shed their nymph case. This more often than not occurs during evening hours. When I get to the river I will always look for shucks on rocks and trees. You can also see the live insects hanging out there. They will often fall off vegetation into the river or come down for a drink. The Dries are present in the habitat whether you see them on the water or not.

 

So, I fish dries right off stream side vegetation and often have stellar days. I hope this helps. If not that disregard.

 

I usually use a Simulator to match size and color.

[flytire 0]

20 incher (charlie craven photo)

 

[planettrout 0]

One of the easiest and also very effective patterns, is Pat's Rubberlegs also known as "The Pickle":

 

 

Charlie Craven ties it HERE:

 

http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/flybox/print.cfm?parentID=178

 

Alter the size and color to match the bugs in your area.

 

Keep in mind, that stoneflies require clean, oxygenated water and are most abundant in freestone waters. The majority of stone flies migrate towards shore to hatch or to rocks, boulders and other objects that project above water...

 

 

PT/TB

[Bruce Norikane 0]

One of the easiest and also very effective patterns, is Pat's Rubberlegs also known as "The Pickle":

 

Charlie Craven ties it HERE:

 

http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/flybox/print.cfm?parentID=178

 

Another vote for Pat's Rubberlegs, a Pat Dorsey pattern that's very similar to the Girdle Bug.

 

OP asked for easy ties that catch trout. The Rubberlegs is very easy, uses simple materials and is a go to nymph for stonefly rivers. Also, very easy to fish.

[IgotWood 0]

Rubber leg stonefly! I tie it on a #6, with golden olive chenille, and natural barred legs. I also do VERY well with a soft-hackle prince, however, I dumb it down a bit because I hate tying goose biots! Rubber legs for the tail (trimmed short), peacokc hurl up the abdomen wrapped with tinsel or wire, two pieces of flashy material for the wing (I use flashabou), and some Hare'e dub in various colors for the thorax, and a partridge soft-hackle (optional). No wing case, no legs...very simple, fast, and deadly effective. I tie these in sizes 10-16, and in several different colors, but the standard peacock is most productive for me.

[Western Trout Hunter 0]

I use Pats rubber legs as well. If you want to add a little extra touch tie 2 knots in each of the legs and they will look jointed. I'm not sure the fish care but they come out looking mighty pretty.