Fishing Flies

Rib: Peacock herl.

Shellback: Peacock herl.

Hackle: Brown hen.

Head: Black.

STONEFLY NYMPHS

Stonefly nymphs live only in the cleanest of rivers and lakes and in many parts of the world of trout fishing they are far less important in the diet of the fish than caddisflies and upwinged flies. However stoneflies are very popular among fly-tyers, partly because of their solid build that makes them good to imitate, partly because some species grow very large. Further, in some North American rivers, there are very large populations of big stonefly species, such as the giant stonefly Pteronarcys californica and the golden stoneflies Acroneuria pacifica and A. californica. So there the pleasure of tying big stonefly nymphs is closely linked with the pleasure of catching trout with them. Across the Atlantic, Europe has some big stoneflies (Perla and Dinocras species) but only in a relatively few rivers are the populations big enough to warrant carrying imitations of their nymphs or adults. It is interesting to note, however, that in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the large nymphs were collected and fished as bait in some rough British rivers. Not surprisingly most stonefly imitations have their roots in North America. They are worth trying in any cool, clean trout stream.

The first three, fairly simple tyings, are by Polly Rosborough (see here (#ulink_af4aacf8-fac8-5549-a0ec-3e323a6df57a)).

DARK STONE

Hook: Nymph, sizes 4–14.

Thread: Tan.

Tails: 4–6 dark brown feather fibres (e.g. pheasant church window feather).

Body: Light cream synthetic fur.

Shellback: Slip from dark mottled turkey tail.

Rib: Tan thread, doubled.

Wing cases: Dark brown feather slip (e.g. pheasant church window dyed dark brown).

Legs: Dark brown feather fibres.

BROWN STONE

Hook: Nymph, sizes 12–16.

Thread: Brown.

Tails: Few fibres brown feather fibres (e.g. dyed partridge).

Body: Medium brown fur or wool.

Shellback: A dark brown quill slip (e.g. dyed goose).

Rib: Brown thread, doubled.

Wing cases: Dark brown quill slip.

Legs: Tips of cock pheasant tail fibres.

YELLOW STONE

Hook: Nymph, sizes 10–14.

Thread: Amber.

Tails: Few fibres mallard dyed yellow-buff or wood duck.

Body: Dull yellow-orange fur or wool.

Shellback: Mallard dyed yellow-buff or wood duck.

Rib: Amber thread, doubled.

Wing cases: Mallard dyed yellow-buff or wood duck.

Legs: Tips of feathers used for wing cases.

MONTANA NYMPH

Hook: Nymph, sizes 2–12.

Thread: Black.

Tails: Black crow quill fibres.

Abdomen: Black chenille.

Thorax: Yellow chenille.

Wing cases: 2 strands of black chenille.

Legs: Soft black hen hackle wound through thorax.

The MONTANA NYMPH is perhaps the best-known artificial stonefly, and catches trout where there are no stoneflies! It is also an excellent catcher of small Atlantic salmon (grilse) in Norway and Scotland. TED TRUEBLOOD’S STONE is very similar, but includes brown instead of black chenille, orange instead of yellow chenille, and has two dark brown goose biots as tails.

Randall Kaufmann devised three great stonefly imitations in which the rib was Swannundaze. This is no longer available, but at the time of writing (2009) the similar Vinyl Rib (US) or Magic Glass (UK) is available. Like Swannundaze, this has a D-shaped cross-section and is ideal for ribbing large nymphs. A natural alternative is to take a dyed goose or swan feather quill and to peel, using a sharp knife or razor blade, a thin section of the outer core. Then trim this to the required width before tying in.

KAUFMANN’S BLACK STONE

Hook: Nymph, sizes 2–12 (Kaufmann recommended 12X long).

Thread: Black.

Tails: 2 black turkey biots.

Abdomen: ½ black Antron, ½ black, purple, claret, red, amber, fiery brown, blue and hot orange angora, well mixed.

Rib: Black Swannundaze (see here (#ulink_f81d7225-b122-54b5-be44-9495676e2a95)).