Skwala Slow Stone SBS

[ScottP]

A triumph of alliteration. Original had a dubbed egg sac, but I like foam so much better.

hook - Dai Riki 280 #10
thread - UTC 140 hopper yellow
egg sac - 2mm foam black
feelers/antennae - rubber small black
overbody - 2mm foam brown
abdomen/thorax/head - Fly Rite quill gordon
ribbing - tying thread
wing - elk hair
legs - butt ends of elk


Part 1

poke a hole in foam (1/2 gap width), slide on hook






start thread, wrap back to bend; fold foam over, top and bottom, tie down and trim






add feelers on either side of egg sac




taper foam strip (not quite gap width) and tie in; Super Glue and tie down

[ScottP]

Part 2


dub thread, dub body, front-to-back






pull foam overbody over body; tie down/create rib




pull foam back, advance thread, pull foam down, create next segment and repeat till you're out of abdomen (75% mark); trim foam and cover with thread








add antennae




clean, stack and measure a clump of elk (a little past the bend)




tie in and let the butts flare




trim some of the butt fibers, leave a few on either side

[ScottP]

Part 3

more dubbing; in front and back of butts/legs






half hitch x 2, SHHAN, trim feelers/antennae/legs



dorsal



ventral




Regards,
Scott

[Arnie]

VERY nicely done, Scott. Do you also tie them in salmon fly sizes/colors? Just curious how well a size 4 would float.
Thanks,
Arnie

[ScottP]

Arnie,

Thanks. The one you're looking at is the first and only, so far. No reason you couldn't tie it as a salmonfly but, even with the foam egg sac and back, it's a bit of a low floater. Not a problem in the lower spring/pre-runoff flows when I hit the skwala hatch, but it may be a bit tough to see during salmonfly time; even tight to the bank, the water I fished during that hatch the past few years has been moving along at a good clip. I'll tie up a few in rusty tones just to see how they work, but I prefer the MCM, Rogue and Carnage for the big bug - lots of foam but they still lay in, not on the water, are pretty much unsinkable, visible, durable and they catch fish.

Regards,
Scott

[tjulian]

Great looking fly.

Where do you get the 2 mm foam?

[ScottP]

Where do you get the 2 mm foam?

Craft stores usually carry a good selection of colors; fly shops have it, but apply their typical mark-up. A sharp blade and steel straightedge cut it down to size; rotary paper cutters work pretty well, too, although I've had better luck cutting thin strips by hand.

Regards,
Scott

[oldtrout]

Thank you!
I never would have thought to use foam on the top like that.
I'm going to try that trick on a mayfly dun pattern with some thin foam.