Some of the earliest hatches to keep an eye out for during the spring fly-fishing season are those of the insect order Plecoptera (stoneflies). Adult stoneflies normally emerge during the cold and dreary winter and spring months they usually are just getting going near the end of March. When the sun and water conditions are just right these critters will leave the water and take to the air, driving lackadaisical fish wild. Early stones are most certainly a treat for hungry trout, being big, bulky and ugly. The average size of these early season stones is around half an inch to one inch in length. However, if you are lucky enough to come across the Pteronarcys family of stoneflies (Pteronarcidae, pteronarcys, dorsata) you might see flies in the 1 1/2 to 2 inch range. These early season stones can be very elusive to the inexperienced fly fisher because of the early hatch date (April to May) and the sparse numbers of flies that actually occur during the hatch.
In creating a pattern to imitate these early season stones a few key considerations need to be taken into account. First and foremost, the fly you are going to tie needs to be able to float and be durable on rough water. Fast turbulent waters that are noticeably stained due to seasonal snowmelts characterize fly fishing conditions during this spring season, especially across the Midwest states. Flies will be dunked, dipped and tossed about throughout the day in this rough water and if your pattern cannot ride high on the water then you might as well be home dreaming of fishing than out doing it. Another important consideration of flies is size and color. Having a few stones in different sizes is a must. You never know what size the bugs are going to be on the water so covering all you bases by having patterns ranging from ¾'s of an inch to 2 inches in length is always a good idea. Some stones like the Pteronarcys start their hatch around 5:00 - 6:00 pm so fishing this pattern at dusk and well into darkness will better your odds hooking into a nice early season trout. A dark colored body (black or chocolate brown) will aid you in picking out your fly drifting in the stained waters and should cast a good silhouette on the waters surface in low light conditions.
Materials Used in the Foam and Fur Stone
Hook: Daiichi Curved Shank Size 6 Thread: Black Uni-Thread Size 8/0 Shellback: Black Foam Body: Black Zonker Fur Underbody: Black Foam Eyes: Black Bead Chain Eyes Tail: Black Goose Biots Antennae: Black Hackle Fibers Wings: 4 Black Hackles
Tying Instructions for the Foam and Fur Stone
1. Start this fly by placing the hook into the vice securely and attaching the thread behind the hook eye. Using a figure eight wrapping pattern tie down a pair of bead chain eyes directly behind the hook eye. Wrap the thread down the body of the hook shank until you reach the point above the barb. At this location tie down the 2 goose biots onto the top of the hook shank so that they extend off the back of the hook in a V shape.
2. Clip two 1 ½ long sections of black foam and wrap them down with thread (one on the top and one on the bottom of the hook shank). Cover the foam with enough thread so that these strips cannot slide or slip into a different position.
3. Clip another strip of foam (two inches this time) and tie it to the top of the hook shank but this time extending off the back of the hook shank.
4. Bring the thread back to the point above the barb and form a dubbing loop. Insert some black Zonker fur into the loop and trim it so that it is approximately half an inch in length. Spin the dubbing loop until you have a nice bushy fur hackle formed. Wrap the hackle up the body of the fly making sure to pull all the extending fur fibers towards the rear of the fly. After two wraps of the fur hackle pull the foam strip that is extending off the back of the fly over the body you just created and tie it down with the thread.
5. Pull the foam toward the back of the fly and wrap the fur hackle three more times toward the front of the body. Pull the foam again over the body of the fly and tie down with the thread.
6. Make one more body section with the fur hackle and foam then wrap the fur hackle all the way up to the back of the bead chain eyes. Strip the bottom hackle fibers off of 4 separate black hackles leaving only the top inch of hackle fibers. Tie two of these wings per side just behind the bead chain eyes.
7. Pull the foam over top of the bead chain eyes and make two turns of thread behind the eyes and then in front of the eyes to secure the foam. Clip the end of the foam short and cover any excess foam with thread.
8. Select two individual inch long hackle fibers and tie them down in front of the hook eyes. Build a small neat head and whip finish and cement the head.
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