Stonefly

Accustomed to a steady diet of dry flies many river and stream fly fishers seldom give nymphing a try. Too bad, because they are passing up some great fly fishing not to mention the chance of doubling their catch. At the top of the cobble tumblers list are stonefly nymphs. To the river fly fisher stoneflies are what leeches, scuds and dragons are to the stillwater angler, a staple food source. Depending upon the species stoneflies can remain as nymphs for up to 4 years. Trout see tumbling stonefly nymphs regularly and seasoned fly fishers use stonefly nymphs as a lead off hitter on both familiar and unfamiliar waters.

With a rudimentary gill system stonefly nymphs require constant moving water to function so lakes are not stonefly habitat, but the rough and tumble sections of rivers are. Rummaging about the loose rocks and boulders along the stream floor stonefly nymphs are often swept adrift. Feeble swimmers the nymphs barely have enough coordination to right themselves. Stoneflies disperse themselves like other insects through a phenomenon know as behavioral drift by letting go and drifting downstream to another suitable location. Bouncing heavily weighted nymphs along the bottom is a great way to scour riffles for trout. Prior to emerging on shore the nymphs masse in the shallows, trout follow them tight to shore picking off many nymphs as they labor along the bottom. Emergence often takes place during the late spring freshet making stonefly nymphs a prime pattern at this time.

The majority of successful stonefly presentations utilize a floating line and 9 to 12 foot leaders. Strike indicators placed about twice the waters depth up the leader are a near necessity, detecting subtle takes amidst the swirling currents is almost impossible as trout spit out a fraud in an instant. In strong riffles and pocket water additional weight on the leader may be required to sink the fly into the calm hydrodynamic cushion along the bottom. Hold back the strike indicator during the drift, as the surface currents are swifter than those along the bottom. Use a tuck cast to present the fly upstream by allowing the line and leader to roll out completely prior to landing on the water. The nymph lands first plummeting to the bottom. Follow the indicator with the rod held high, as the nymph drifts past lower the tip and follow the fly downstream, expect the majority of takes when the indicator is directly in front. An alternative to traditional floating line tactics is the Brooks method. Famed angler Charlie Brooks used a high density sinking line, short leader and weighted fly in the same manner as a floating line especially in deeper runs and slots. No matter what method keep the casting distance at a minimum to maintain maximum control. It is better to shotgun an area systematically with short controllable casts.

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