Golden stones keep coming up. While I was organizing for my next trip to Missoula, I was thinking that I don't really have any in my fly box. I did quite well earlier in the year with the LF Golden Stone, but I was thinking of trying something a bit easier / quicker to tie. Since I have been tying quite a few FEB October Caddis for the Idaho Fish In next month, I kind of had a mindset to that style of fly.

Several years ago I fished the Clark's Salmonfly and the Clark's Golden Stone with some success. That is a classic pattern - effective, durable, simple. My kind of fly. But I also wanted to do something a bit different. As some of you may have noticed, I've really taken to furled extended bodies the past few months, so it probably is not surprising that I extended ( pun intended ) that concept to a variation on the Clark's Golden Stone.

From the fly tier's point of view.



From the fishies' point view.



Briefly, the fly is tied on a size 8 standard dry fly hook. The furled extended body consists of three strands of antron - light yellow, medium olive, and brown olive. There is a sparse medium yellow underwing of poly yarn and a heavier overwing of deer hair. The front of the fly is finished with peacock herl and brown saddle hackle to size, although oversizing the hackle might be a good idea. The f.e.b. and the peacock herl are the major variations from Clark's pattern as I recall it.

I would like to name this fly for a friend of mine and dedicate it to that friend - if it fishes as well as it's predecessors. That remains to be seen. Hoping to get on some water with golden stones up in Western Montana and maybe Northern Idaho this coming week to give it a go.

John