There are nearly as many variations of the Golden Stone Nymph as there are fly tyers. We designed this fly to catch fish, be easy to tie, durable, and versatile. The Golden Stone Nymph is used to imitate mature nymphs crawling to shore to hatch into adults. Strong currents part a few from the rocks and trout gorge themselves on these large nymphs carried downstream. Stoneflies need gravel creek or river bottoms and highly oxygenated water.

• Standard Shank Hook size 6 - 12
• .019 Lead Wire, Optional (underbody)
• White Thread
• Golden Dyed Turkey Quill (Tail) We used natural to enhance the photography.
• Yellow Larva Lace (Ribbing)
• Synthetic Cream Yellow Yarn (Body)
• Synthetic White Yarn (Thorax and Head)
• Golden Dyed Turkey Quill (Wing Case and Antennae)
• Ginger Saddle Hackle (Wings and Legs)

Wrapping the Underbody
A few wraps of .019 lead wire will enhance the ability of the fly to sink in faster water.

Wrapping the Hook
Tie thread to hook with 4 or 5 half hitches. Wrap the hook with thread. Make a small ball of thread at the back of the shank. This small ball of thread keeps the tail segments separated during the tying process. Apply a small amount of head cement of lacquer to the thread along the hook shank.

Prepare Turkey Quill
Select a piece of turkey quill, 6 - 8 segments depending on hook size. Apply lacquer to both sides of quill piece as shown in illustration. Set aside to dry. I use hoof lacquer, for horses; it's tough, relatively inexpensive and can be found at most feed stores. Clear fingernail polish will also work.

Tail Piece 1
Select a piece of turkey quill 2 segments wide. Hold it in place on the side of the hook away from you and tie it in.

Do it Again
Repeat the process on the side of the hook nearest you.

Attach the Ribbing
Attach a 2 -3 inch piece of yellow Larva Lace to the bottom of the hook shank.

Attach Body Material
Attach a short piece of cream yellow synthetic yarn (it won't shrink when it gets wet).

Construct the Body
Applying tension to the yarn, wrap it around the hook shank to construct the body. Tie off with a few wraps of thread.

Ribbing
Spiral the ribbing over the body. Three wraps should do it. Tie off with a few wraps of thread.

Positioning Wing Case
Take the turkey quill you lacquered earlier and position along the top of the hook shank. You will have to get your fingers in a lot closer to keep it in place.

Tie in Wing Case
Tie in the turkey quill as shown.

Constructing the Thorax
Attach a piece of white yarn then wrap around the hook a few times to create the thorax. Tie off at head. I find it helps to use a couple of half hitches here because it locks the material in place.

Attaching Hackle
Attach the hackle just in front of the wing case tie in point. Hackle should be around 1 1/2 times the distance of the hook shank from the shaft. It is important to select a feather with a light colored shaft.

Wrap Hackle
Make three wraps spiraling hackle forward toward head. Tie off, again using half hitches.

Distribute Hackle
Pull hackle toward the back of the hook then hold in place. Tie in with a couple of half hitches. Spiral thread back to the wingcase tie in, distributing feather segments evenly on both sides as you go. A dibble can be a big help.

Building the Wingcase
Fold turkey quill forward, at a point even with nearest larva ribbing, over tweezers (circled in red). Pull wingcase open and tie in at fold, following the larva lace.

First Fold
Pull the turkey quill forward and tie in at front of first thorax segment.

Second Fold
Pull the turkey quill toward the back of the hook and use tweezers(see above)to make another fold at the midway point of the first wingcase segment. With the turkey quill pointing forward, tie in at the front of the second thorax segment. The fold is not tied in.

Third Fold
Make one more fold and tie off with a couple of half hitches. Finish the head with a whip finish, working around the wingcase in front of the hook eye. Carefully apply a small amount of head cement, clear around the head of the fly without getting any in the hook eye. Use dibble to split turkey from the back of the hook eye forward. Trim antennae and coat boat sides with lacquer Lacquer Split tail segments. I leave both tail and antenna long. They can always be trimmed in the field.

Finished Fly
Trim long hackle fibers. Your fly should look something like this when you finish.

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Blackstone

In a pinch, you can use it as a helgramite.

Brownstone

I've seen coloration on stonefly nymphs vary from yellow and olive to gray, black, and brown.

Richard Alves
Fort Jones, CA

In Central Oregon, these nymphs hatch first and stay out longer than the salmon flies, making the use of them good for a longer period of time, from March through May. Right now (mid April), they are extremely active, leading up to the hatch in just a few weeks.

Merril Hummer...Numb-Butt Fly Company
Madras, OR

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