Giant Black Stonefly

dc410

dc410

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Joined
Mar 14, 2012
Messages
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Location
Lancaster, PA
After reading Greg Hoover's column on the Giant Black Stonefly in the March issue of the Mid Atlantic Flyfishing Guide I went to the vise this weekend to tie up an imitation for the nymph and adult phase of this stonefly. I just got finished tying a bunch of Golden Stonefly Nymphs for the Wet Fly/Nymph swap and I used basically the same idea for the Giant Black Stonefly Nymph with a few minor changes. The version of the Black Stimulator is to imitate the adult phase of this stonefly. According to Greg, if the trout are keying on these adult Giant Blacks , skittering a Black Stimulator across the surface can create some explosive takes. Sounds cool! I'm hoping to see a few of these stoneflies fluttering around this season (maybe even at the Jam). If I am lucky enough to see any trout working on them I am planning on having a few flies in the box to throw at 'em. Only time will tell!

Black Stonefly Nymph
Hook: Daiichi 1730 size 8
Thread: Black 6/0
Weight: 20 wraps of .020 lead wire - single layer for abdomen, double layer for thorax (thorax flattened with pliers for profile)
Tail: Black Goose Biots
Shellback: Black Thin Skin
Body: Fine Black dubbing
Rib: Black Ultra Wire
Thorax: Dragonfly Dark SLF/Hares Ear dubbing blended
Wingcases (3): Black Thin Skin - trimmed to shape
Legs: Pumpkin Sililegs

Black Stimulator
Hook: TMC 2302 size 8
Thread: Black 6/0 - body, Red 6/0 - head
Tail: Black Deer Hair
Body: Thin strip of black foam tied over back
Hackle: Brown (palmered over foam)
Wing: Black Deer Hair
Thorax:Dragonfly Dark SLF/ fine black dubbing blended
Hackle: Brown/Grizzly mixed

 

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Sweet, the deadly duo! I'd say you've got stones down pat there John, looking good. Nice ties.
 
Sweet tie John. Have you ever tied a size 2/0 Stimulator? I tie them for Smallies they work great.
 
Thanks guys. Dan, the photo I attached is actually the largest Stimulator that I ever tied. You definitely have my interest peaked. What style of hook do you tie them on? Do you use foam to float them or do do you fish them wet? I never heard of a Stimulator being tied on a hook that large.
 
I also use Stimmie's for smallmouth, I tie the yellow bodies ones (I think for a hopper imitation)

I usually do mess up the wing when I tie them though.

Nice ties John.
 
I tie them on a Mustad 3366 size 2 thru 2/0. The body is packed deer hair. Just don't pack them too tight because you won't be able to palmer the hackle. River Smallies love them drifted thru riffles. They are a great dobson fly imitation for late summer. Large mouth love them plopped down right at the edge of a weed line or next to a stump or log. One of my biggest LM came on a 2/0 stimmie.
 
Thanks for the info on that Dan. I think the biggest 3366 hooks I have are in size 4 but the Lancaster show is just around the corner. What color combination of hair and hackle do you like for that Dobsonfly stimmie imitation? I remember seeing some big old dobsonflies buzzing around one evening last summer while wade fishing the Juniata River with FI.
 
Very nice looking ties.

GC
 
delta_dog wrote:
Sweet tie John. Have you ever tied a size 2/0 Stimulator? I tie them for Smallies they work great.

Size 2/0 stimulator sounds nuts to me. Also kind of fun. Lol. The biggest hook I have in hand is a size 2 bass popper hook, so I tied one on that, with foam. Didn't read the post about deer hair body until after I tied it. It looks ridiculously big! I'm not even confident that it will float. I put a size 16 deer hair caddis next to it for scale.

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Those are really nice flies.
 
I usually tie them in either brown/black or gray/black but always with black and brown hackle. Either black hackle for body and brown for head or you can reverse. Flash under wing is optional. This one is a size 2/0.
 

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dc410 wrote:
After reading Greg Hoover's column on the Giant Black Stonefly in the March issue of the Mid Atlantic Flyfishing Guide I went to the vise this weekend to tie up an imitation for the nymph and adult phase of this stonefly. I just got finished tying a bunch of Golden Stonefly Nymphs for the Wet Fly/Nymph swap and I used basically the same idea for the Giant Black Stonefly Nymph with a few minor changes. The version of the Black Stimulator is to imitate the adult phase of this stonefly. According to Greg, if the trout are keying on these adult Giant Blacks , skittering a Black Stimulator across the surface can create some explosive takes. Sounds cool! I'm hoping to see a few of these stoneflies fluttering around this season (maybe even at the Jam). If I am lucky enough to see any trout working on them I am planning on having a few flies in the box to throw at 'em. Only time will tell!

I haven't read the article. What streams are listed in PA with a decent population of these big black bombers by Greg Hoover?
 
D-dog,

Thanks for the pics. Those things are massive, may need to include a few of them in the smallie box for this summer.

Afish,

Greg stated in his column that he has "witnessed this sporadic yet aggressive surface feeding behavior during May and June on small, forested trout streams as well as both Penns and Fishing Creeks". I never personally remember seeing them but I really don't get a lot of opportunities to fish those streams.
 
delta_dog wrote:
I usually tie them in either brown/black or gray/black but always with black and brown hackle. Either black hackle for body and brown for head or you can reverse. Flash under wing is optional. This one is a size 2/0.

Dang! After blowing up one of those photos of those huge stimmies I just have to tie one of them if for no other reason because they are really cool! :-D Thanks again Dan.
 
John the more chewed up they get the better. PM coming.
 
Here's a box of some of my stoners for central PA (Penns and Fishing Creeks) mostly.

And yes, I have caught fish on even the size 4s. Can't wait for warmer weather.
 

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As a rule they say everything is bigger on Penns. That is a really nice looking stonefly box you got there, Gene.
 
You can use a black stimulator for the little black stones too.
 
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