Wired Stonefly Text and Photos by Jeremy Barela from the Umpqua Enflyclopedia
This is an easy fly to tie, originating from the
now famous Copper John. I have used it during the
stonefly hatch on the Cimarron River in New Mexico,
and have had great success. I also tie this fly
with a black and amber colored wire to imitate
the darker stoneflies that hatch on the Jemez
River in New Mexico. The wire performs two jobs.
One is to create a ribbed two-color effect for
the fly, and the other is to weight the stone
and keep it on the bottom where the naturals
live out their lives as nymphs.
Materials Wired Stonefly:
Hook: Daiichi 1270 #12-18.
Thread: Gray 8/0, Orange.
Bead: 5/32 or 1/8 brass bead.
Tail and legs: Tan colored goose biot.
Abdomen: Hot Yellow and Copper UTC wire (medium size).
Thorax: Orangish Black Scintilla Dubbing (#24).
Head: 1/8 Gold bead.
Tying the Wired Stonefly:
- Slide bead on hook and place in vice. Start
thread behind bead and wrap back to above the barb.
Tie in tail with biot material, placing convex side
facing in. Wrap thread back up towards bead,
covering biot. - Cut piece of yellow and copper wire and place
the right ends of wire inside the bead. Wrap thread
back towards the barb, keeping the wire together
and on your side of the hook. - Wrap wire simultaneously up shank in touching
turns to create a rib effect. Continue wrapping
thread until you have reached — up to the eye of
the hook. Tie off wire and cut, placing tag ends
inside bead on the opposite side of the hook. - Tie in first set of legs where wire ends. Tie
in the biot so that the tip reaches just to the
beginning of the wire. I also tie these in so the
convex sides of the biot are facing in, allowing
for the biot to stick out from the body a bit more. - Dub over the ends of the biot about half way
up to the eye creating a smooth thorax. - Tie in the second set of legs, making sure
biot reaches the halfway point of the wire abdomen. - Dub over ends of biot up to the bead, continuing
the smooth thorax from before. Now you are ready to
finish the fly as you normally would.
How to Fish the Wired Stonefly:
You can tie this fly in various colors to match the naturals in your area. I fish this fly on the bottom using no weight, but you may need to add split shot (if legal) to help you get it down if you are fishing fast, deep water. ~ Jeremy Barela (barel fly) www.customflys.com
Originally published August 4, 2003 on Fly Anglers Online by Jeremy Barela.