Fly of the Month 01.12
Kevin's Stonefly
This “fly of the month” represents the latest in the Tim Wilhelm/Tom Adams series.
Kevin’s Stonefly
I think may have already written about the Chambliss’ Paint and Tackle of West Richland, WA. You would walk through the paint store on the way to the back where Bill Jr. managed the tackle store. I don’t think Bill Jr. ever really worked a full day in his life and even when running the tackle store I think a lot of his time was spent telling stories and making bold proclamations. One of the techniques for catching steelhead was to bounce a lure aptly named a steely over the bottom of the Columbia River. You could feel the lure tapping along the bottom and anytime the rhythm changed or there was pause to the tapping, you set the hook. Sometimes you would be hooked into a bolt of silver lightning but most times you would be hooked to a boulder. Bill liked that because that meant you would buy more Steelies. One day while I was replenishing my supply a fellow came in the shop and during the course of his conversation he boasted that he never lost tackle to which Bill Jr. said “If you ain’t losing tackle, you ain’t catching fish!” Wow! I thought - how profound!
I think of Bill Jr. and his statement every time I fish a nymph. Roughly translated, if you aren’t putting the fly where the fish are, you won’t catch fish. The same is true of Kevin’s Stonefly. From the Davidson River Outfitters website: “The best trout fishing in the summertime occurs in early morning and late afternoon. Stoneflies will emerge most of the summer in the late evenings through the night. The trick to being successful with your stonefly imitations is to fish them on the bottom of the river. If you are not bouncing on the bottom then you are not in the zone where the trout are looking for stoneflies.” Reading that last sentence, I’d say Kevin Howell has been to Chambliss’ Paint and Tackle.
Fly of the Month 01.12 Kevin's Stonefly
Hook: Tiemco 5263 4x TDE Streamer or equivalent, Size: 4, 6, 8, 10
Thread: 6/0 Uni or equivalent in Black
Tail: Black medium rubber legs
Rib: Fine gold wire
Abdomen: Peacock herl
Thorax: White chenille with palmered grizzly hackle
Legs: Black medium rubber legs
Wingcase and Back: Turkey feather ---
Note: Turkey ties in better, without splits, if treated beforehand with some sort of sealant. Matte spray, head cement, Dave’s Flexament etc. This is true almost anytime you use turkey.
Directions:
1) Overwrap the hook from the barb to three eye lengths back from the eye with .025 lead or equivalent
2) Tie on thread at the eye, build a small dam to stop the lead, soft wrap the lead in open turns to the back and build a small dam. Let the bobbin hang.
3) Select a length of rubber leg and tie with a soft wrap. Tie in slightly firmer with a x pattern. Holding the legs in your left hand, lift the legs slightly to align them on the top of the hook shank and then tie in more firmly. The legs should flare naturally on either side of the hook. Do not trim the excess yet.
4) Tie in a section of turkey feather that is about ¼ to 3/8 wide with the smaller tapered end first. The feather should tie in with the darker side positioned down, which allows for the darker side to be on top when you pull the feather forward.
5) Tie in a length of gold wire and move out of the way.
6) Select five or six peacock herls and trim the bottom slightly. Stroke the barbs out with gentle finger strokes and tie in by the bottom as one clump. Advance the thread to the thorax and let the bobbin hang
7) Begin wrapping the herl in tight, slightly overlapping wraps. Twisting the herls will lessen the see through to the stem. Advance the wraps to the thorax and tie off. Trim the excess.
8) Take the turkey feather forward to the thorax and pull slightly to lengthen the back and secure with open and fairly soft wraps of the gold wire. Advance the gold wire to the thorax and tie in. Trim the waste and push the turkey back and out of the way. Let the bobbin hang.
9) Select a webby grizzly saddle hackle and tie in by the tip.
10) Tie in a length of white chenille (with your fingernails pull the chenille fibers of exposing an eight of an inch or so of rope to tie in with) advancing the chenille to the end of the lead wrap and tie off.
11) Palmer the grizzly forward stroking the fibers back as you advance. Tie off at the end of the chenille and trim the excess
12) Tie in two rubber legs (to make four legs) very close to the end of the chenille as before, be careful not to over tighten the wraps in as much as it will flare the legs out and you want them angled back. Do not trim the length yet.
13) Grab the turkey feather and pull firmly to the head and secure. Trim the excess and whip finish the head.
14) Trim the back legs to about the length of the hook by holding together and making one cut. The front legs should be slightly past the thorax and trim in the same manner. If they are still bound together, separate.
- Tom Adams, Tim Wilhelm
Kevin's Stonefly
This “fly of the month” represents the latest in the Tim Wilhelm/Tom Adams series.
Kevin’s Stonefly
I think may have already written about the Chambliss’ Paint and Tackle of West Richland, WA. You would walk through the paint store on the way to the back where Bill Jr. managed the tackle store. I don’t think Bill Jr. ever really worked a full day in his life and even when running the tackle store I think a lot of his time was spent telling stories and making bold proclamations. One of the techniques for catching steelhead was to bounce a lure aptly named a steely over the bottom of the Columbia River. You could feel the lure tapping along the bottom and anytime the rhythm changed or there was pause to the tapping, you set the hook. Sometimes you would be hooked into a bolt of silver lightning but most times you would be hooked to a boulder. Bill liked that because that meant you would buy more Steelies. One day while I was replenishing my supply a fellow came in the shop and during the course of his conversation he boasted that he never lost tackle to which Bill Jr. said “If you ain’t losing tackle, you ain’t catching fish!” Wow! I thought - how profound!
I think of Bill Jr. and his statement every time I fish a nymph. Roughly translated, if you aren’t putting the fly where the fish are, you won’t catch fish. The same is true of Kevin’s Stonefly. From the Davidson River Outfitters website: “The best trout fishing in the summertime occurs in early morning and late afternoon. Stoneflies will emerge most of the summer in the late evenings through the night. The trick to being successful with your stonefly imitations is to fish them on the bottom of the river. If you are not bouncing on the bottom then you are not in the zone where the trout are looking for stoneflies.” Reading that last sentence, I’d say Kevin Howell has been to Chambliss’ Paint and Tackle.
Fly of the Month 01.12 Kevin's Stonefly
Hook: Tiemco 5263 4x TDE Streamer or equivalent, Size: 4, 6, 8, 10
Thread: 6/0 Uni or equivalent in Black
Tail: Black medium rubber legs
Rib: Fine gold wire
Abdomen: Peacock herl
Thorax: White chenille with palmered grizzly hackle
Legs: Black medium rubber legs
Wingcase and Back: Turkey feather ---
Note: Turkey ties in better, without splits, if treated beforehand with some sort of sealant. Matte spray, head cement, Dave’s Flexament etc. This is true almost anytime you use turkey.
Directions:
1) Overwrap the hook from the barb to three eye lengths back from the eye with .025 lead or equivalent
2) Tie on thread at the eye, build a small dam to stop the lead, soft wrap the lead in open turns to the back and build a small dam. Let the bobbin hang.
3) Select a length of rubber leg and tie with a soft wrap. Tie in slightly firmer with a x pattern. Holding the legs in your left hand, lift the legs slightly to align them on the top of the hook shank and then tie in more firmly. The legs should flare naturally on either side of the hook. Do not trim the excess yet.
4) Tie in a section of turkey feather that is about ¼ to 3/8 wide with the smaller tapered end first. The feather should tie in with the darker side positioned down, which allows for the darker side to be on top when you pull the feather forward.
5) Tie in a length of gold wire and move out of the way.
6) Select five or six peacock herls and trim the bottom slightly. Stroke the barbs out with gentle finger strokes and tie in by the bottom as one clump. Advance the thread to the thorax and let the bobbin hang
7) Begin wrapping the herl in tight, slightly overlapping wraps. Twisting the herls will lessen the see through to the stem. Advance the wraps to the thorax and tie off. Trim the excess.
8) Take the turkey feather forward to the thorax and pull slightly to lengthen the back and secure with open and fairly soft wraps of the gold wire. Advance the gold wire to the thorax and tie in. Trim the waste and push the turkey back and out of the way. Let the bobbin hang.
9) Select a webby grizzly saddle hackle and tie in by the tip.
10) Tie in a length of white chenille (with your fingernails pull the chenille fibers of exposing an eight of an inch or so of rope to tie in with) advancing the chenille to the end of the lead wrap and tie off.
11) Palmer the grizzly forward stroking the fibers back as you advance. Tie off at the end of the chenille and trim the excess
12) Tie in two rubber legs (to make four legs) very close to the end of the chenille as before, be careful not to over tighten the wraps in as much as it will flare the legs out and you want them angled back. Do not trim the length yet.
13) Grab the turkey feather and pull firmly to the head and secure. Trim the excess and whip finish the head.
14) Trim the back legs to about the length of the hook by holding together and making one cut. The front legs should be slightly past the thorax and trim in the same manner. If they are still bound together, separate.
- Tom Adams, Tim Wilhelm