Chain Gang Stonefly Nymph by Dean Myers
Fly Patterns, Fly Tying Tips — By Alex Cerveniak on October 14, 2010 5:02 pm
A while back we came across a fly pattern created by Dean Myers, a commercial fly tier from southeastern Pennsylvania, called the Chain Gang Stone. As you can see, Dean has taken an innovative approach to creating that distinct wiggling motion that stonefly nymphs make with their abdomen as they struggle in the current. This fly will also get down in a hurry on swift flowing streams.
We asked Dean to share a few tips for tying this pattern. To start, he said, “For securing the tails I use a pair of pliers to hold the second to last bead. Then with my thread I fill the gap between the last two beads.” This allows him to have a level foundation on which to secure the tails. Next, he attaches the bead-chain abdomen to the hook via several figure-eight wraps. Said Myers, “One thing I found is that the more thread you have between the beads, the less movement you’ll have.” Dean added that he thinks five beads are the perfect length for this pattern.
The recipe is as follows:
Hook: #12 Nymph Hook
Thread: Black
Tails: Goose Biots
Legs: Goose Biots
Antenna: Goose Biots
Wing Case: Swiss Straw
Abdomen: Metal bead chain (medium)
Thorax: Lead wraps and dubbing
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5 Comments
That is really slick!
I’m wondering if you would say what the actual diameter of the bead chain is? Asking because 20 different outfits selling bead chain have a wide variety of sizes called “medium”.
M.Krall
Man, that was a pain in the nether regions! Do you have a tip on how to position this in the vise that makes it a little easier? I love the way it acts in the water and was cleaning up on the Snake river with it but I really struggled with tying the biots on the bead chain. Any help would be appreciated
Wouldn’t having the all weight of the bead chain on the top of the hook tend to make it flip over and make it ride point up?
I have recently played with this pattern and found a handy way to tie the tail. With the fly in the vice tail end out, I used Kelly forceps to hold the end of the thread. Then hang the forceps over the vice where they wouldn’t fall or be pulled to the fly, I would then hold the second to the last bead on the chain and begin to wrap the thread. The forceps hold the end of the thread from being wrapped with the thread building up the tail. Don’t worry about the gap between the beads as you wrap the thread the beads separate nicely.
I have tied a similar pattern with tiny glass beads. That is a nice looking fly. Build up a bit of dubbing between the beads to support the biots.