And while we're talkin Stones....

[Wes]

Another stone fly simulation. Hank's Hackle Flapper, an Oregon, Deschutes River tie from back in the day. Found in an early spring 1984 in an issue of Salmon Trout Steelheader magazine from Hank Botlemeyer. How the fly was originated:

Hank was fishing the Stone Fly hatch on Oregon's Deschutes River using a size 4 Caddis Bucktail with no success. Suddenly the Caddis Buck produced a nice Deschutes redside and then another. After the second fish was landed Hank inspected the fly and found the hackles had come loose and were flapping about. Well as I remember the story Hank retired the messed up but effective Caddis Buck to be duplicated later. Hank wasn't a fly tier so he took the messed up Caddis Buck to a tier whose name escapes me and the fly pictured here is the result.

[ducksterman]

Wes, here's my story...

Started fishing the Deschutes Salmon fly hatch in late 1960's.

Was at Sun Valley snow skiing and in a fly fishing/skiing shop saw a fly that I thought would work. I didn't tie then and don't remember the name. It was much like the Rogue River stone ...the body was brown elk hair and the head was a bullethead of the same material... the wing was a combo of orange and tan elk.

Fished it and though it caught fish it wasn't until the poorly tied bullethead thread broke and the bullet head flipped forward ....the fish just hammered that fly....I too kept the beat up fly and had Dave McNeese tie me up some matching ones...great results.

At that time we were doing 3 day float trips with guides and though my buddies and the guides were skeptical soon they were getting some tied up too as they saw my success.....the fly became known as the Huewe Special....my name....that fly was fished for 9 years and then we all just shifted away....really I think for two reasons...foam came along but maybe more significantly each year as tiers would "copy" the fly ...it no longer looked the same.....I didn't tie then or it would have stayed on tract.

Never did duplicate it when I started tying....preferring foam for that hatch.

[Wes]

that's cool duckster. thanks man.

[Wes]

now the little stones
Isoperla
this is a take off on the Mormon Girl.