Our longtime friend and Maryland fishing guide, Micah Dammeyer, offers up a great pattern on his blog, Knee Deep Fly Fishing, for the early black stonefly adults. Although Micah developed the pattern for the Big Gunpowder Falls River, this pattern will surely work anywhere on east coast trout streams.
From Micah's Knee Deep post: The Stonefly emergence is one of the first chances to fish dry flies on Maryland's streams. The Gunpowder has great early black stoneflies and we've got a great pattern for you.
Micah offers a step by step tutorial on how he ties this fly here: Early Black Stonefly
The deer hair body he adapted stole from my own pattern for this insect. This fly is often actively fished so it skitters along the surface, just as the naturals do; they use the surface tension to pull the egg sac off the end of their abdomen - the clipped deer hair creates a nice wake. A dead-drift presentation may also take fish, as many are blown onto the water as they head for the bare stream-side vegetation.
And here's a Tightline Production video featuring Tim Flagler tying his Little Black Stonefly nymph, which imitates the subsurface version of the above dry:
And here's a Tightline Production video featuring Tim Flagler tying his Little Black Stonefly nymph, which imitates the subsurface version of the above dry:
Tie some of both patterns up, and get out and fish!
Micah and I will be tying alongside each other this weekend at the Lancaster, PA Fly Fishing Show. Stop by and see us when you are there.
3 comments:
Matt,
Whats the best way to wrap the hackle catskill style as is used on this fly and keep the hackle from laying down flat?
"Adapted" means I stole it from you.
See you at Lancaster!
Jimmy, it could be any number of things. Ideally, I would have to see what you are doing when you wrap your hackle. I don't have room here for the possibilities, but email me and I can make some suggestions. Matt
Micah, duly noted on post..... :)
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