"Bird's Stone Nymph - Old Flies - Fly Angler's OnLine week 187 "

Welcome to 'just old flies,' a section of methods and flies that used-to-be. These flies were tied with the only materials available. Long before the advent of 'modern' tying materials, they were created and improved upon at a far slower pace than todays modern counterparts; limited by materials available and the tiers imagination.

Once long gone, there existed a 'fraternity' of anglers who felt an obligation to use only the 'standard' patterns of the day. We hope to bring a bit of nostalgia to these pages and to you. And sometimes what you find here will not always be about fishing. Perhaps you will enjoy them. Perhaps you will fish the flies. Perhaps . . .

Part One hundred-twenty-two

Bird's Stone Nymph

Compiled and Tied By Thomas C. Duncan, Sr.
Photo by James Birkholm

Developed by Cal Bird of San Francisco in the 1960's, this groundbreaking Stonefly nymph has been overshadowed by some newer arrivals to the fly pattern scene, but it still catches more than its share of fish!

Its best use is as the nymphal form of the Western Salmonfly, and is most often tied with significant weight.

The pattern is:

Hook: 3XL, heavy-wire hook.
Thread: Orange or Yellow.
Tails: Dyed Brown Biots.
Body: Brown dubbing.
Ribbing: Orange or Yellow floss.
Wingcase: Dark brown mottled quill.
Thorax: Peacock Herl.
Hackle: Brown or Furnace, palmered.

Archive of Old Flies