We conserve, Protect and Sustain our Coldwater Natural Resources
|
UP NEXT :
Did you miss our June meeting?
Check out the highlights of the presentation in the video below: |
Attention: Women on the Fly!!Click on the video for more information about an upcoming event.
|
|
Fly of the Month : August 2017
|
When you need a high floating, sink-resistant searching or attractor dry fly pattern on almost any freestone stream, several come to mind depending on what aquatic insect you may want to imitate as well. If you lean toward a mayfly dun, then a Wulff fly pattern comes to mind. If you lean toward a caddisfly, then an Elk Hair Caddis is a good attractor version of an adult caddis. If you lean toward a stonefly, then a Stimulator is considered by many anglers as a good attractor version of an adult stonefly. For a midge, the Griffith Gnat comes to mind. We could list a good number more example matches.
How often do we encounter an adult stonefly hatch or even see adult stoneflies on eastern waters? Well, except for early season tiny winter black stoneflies, early season small brown stoneflies and the small summer yellow and olive sallies, we do not. BUT – the trout do!
Stimulator
Many of our larger, eastern stonefly hatches are nocturnal, occurring at dusk and even later into the night. For example, eastern golden stoneflies typically hatch around midnight as do eastern salmon flies. The larger eastern, black and brown stonefly species also hatch just after dusk in the summer months. Night fishing is not allowed on any North Carolina streams except the lower Nantahala River (a special exception in the regulations to allow anglers time on the whitewater section without rafters). Night fishing in the summer places a lot of undue pressure on trout that are actively pursuing nighttime stonefly hatches, thus, the no night fishing regulation is a sound management practice for our precious mountain trout waters. Also, brown trout forage mostly at night and are most vulnerable to night fishing.
An adult stonefly imitation as a searching fly pattern or attractor is believed to trigger a response from trout imprinted by our eastern night time stonefly hatches. Thus, the larger stimulator fly patterns work “magically” as an attractor rather than a “hatch match” on many Southern Appalachian trout streams.
Anglers and tyers wrongly credit Randal Kaufmann for the Stimulator. He did not originate the Stimulator but did popularize it in the early-1980s. Jim Slattery created his Fluttering Stonefly that he later renamed the Stimulator. Many fly tyers argue that the Orange Stimulator is a variation of the Improved Sofa Pillow fly pattern that was created by Pat Barnes in the 1940s. Some fly tyers argue that the Stimulator was derived from the Yellow-Bellied Mattress Thrasher which has rubber legs and was created by Steve Williams in the 1970s for use on the Au Sable in Michigan. Some even argue that the Stimulator was derived from the original Trude created by Carter Harrison in 1903. However, Jim Slattery clearly blogs on the internet that the influence for his creation of the Stimulator was derived from a live eastern stonefly hatch (which was stonefly mating and egg laying activity) on the Musconetcong River in New Jersey on two straight late-evenings.
A Stimulator tied with a salmon-orange body in sizes 8 to 12 is used to imitate the giant stonefly. A stimulator tied with a yellow or green body in sizes 14 or 16 is used to imitate the small summertime yellow or olive sallies which do hatch during the day. The Stimulator tied in size 14 or 16 with a tan, black or olive body may be used to imitate a caddisfly. Add rubber legs and the Stimulator may be used to imitate a hopper, cicada or a beetle.
In his book, Essential Trout Flies, Dave Hughes states “As a searching dressing, it is hard to beat the Yellow Stimulator…tie and carry it in sizes 8 through 12, and give it a prominent place in your dry-fly box…”
The outstanding qualities of this dry fly are: 1) rides high, 2) easy to see, 3) built-in floatation, and 4) a great indicator fly for a dropper. The only down side is the time required and number of steps to tie this dry fly pattern. Regardless, this dry fly pattern is “king” of the indicator flies. Use the Stimulator as your indicator in a nymph dropper rig for roughwater nymphing.
A final tip – bend the hook slightly downward mid-shank or use a curved hook to create the “egg-laying” humped effect we observe in stoneflies as they lay their eggs over the water.
How often do we encounter an adult stonefly hatch or even see adult stoneflies on eastern waters? Well, except for early season tiny winter black stoneflies, early season small brown stoneflies and the small summer yellow and olive sallies, we do not. BUT – the trout do!
Stimulator
Many of our larger, eastern stonefly hatches are nocturnal, occurring at dusk and even later into the night. For example, eastern golden stoneflies typically hatch around midnight as do eastern salmon flies. The larger eastern, black and brown stonefly species also hatch just after dusk in the summer months. Night fishing is not allowed on any North Carolina streams except the lower Nantahala River (a special exception in the regulations to allow anglers time on the whitewater section without rafters). Night fishing in the summer places a lot of undue pressure on trout that are actively pursuing nighttime stonefly hatches, thus, the no night fishing regulation is a sound management practice for our precious mountain trout waters. Also, brown trout forage mostly at night and are most vulnerable to night fishing.
An adult stonefly imitation as a searching fly pattern or attractor is believed to trigger a response from trout imprinted by our eastern night time stonefly hatches. Thus, the larger stimulator fly patterns work “magically” as an attractor rather than a “hatch match” on many Southern Appalachian trout streams.
Anglers and tyers wrongly credit Randal Kaufmann for the Stimulator. He did not originate the Stimulator but did popularize it in the early-1980s. Jim Slattery created his Fluttering Stonefly that he later renamed the Stimulator. Many fly tyers argue that the Orange Stimulator is a variation of the Improved Sofa Pillow fly pattern that was created by Pat Barnes in the 1940s. Some fly tyers argue that the Stimulator was derived from the Yellow-Bellied Mattress Thrasher which has rubber legs and was created by Steve Williams in the 1970s for use on the Au Sable in Michigan. Some even argue that the Stimulator was derived from the original Trude created by Carter Harrison in 1903. However, Jim Slattery clearly blogs on the internet that the influence for his creation of the Stimulator was derived from a live eastern stonefly hatch (which was stonefly mating and egg laying activity) on the Musconetcong River in New Jersey on two straight late-evenings.
A Stimulator tied with a salmon-orange body in sizes 8 to 12 is used to imitate the giant stonefly. A stimulator tied with a yellow or green body in sizes 14 or 16 is used to imitate the small summertime yellow or olive sallies which do hatch during the day. The Stimulator tied in size 14 or 16 with a tan, black or olive body may be used to imitate a caddisfly. Add rubber legs and the Stimulator may be used to imitate a hopper, cicada or a beetle.
In his book, Essential Trout Flies, Dave Hughes states “As a searching dressing, it is hard to beat the Yellow Stimulator…tie and carry it in sizes 8 through 12, and give it a prominent place in your dry-fly box…”
The outstanding qualities of this dry fly are: 1) rides high, 2) easy to see, 3) built-in floatation, and 4) a great indicator fly for a dropper. The only down side is the time required and number of steps to tie this dry fly pattern. Regardless, this dry fly pattern is “king” of the indicator flies. Use the Stimulator as your indicator in a nymph dropper rig for roughwater nymphing.
A final tip – bend the hook slightly downward mid-shank or use a curved hook to create the “egg-laying” humped effect we observe in stoneflies as they lay their eggs over the water.