Here is the fly pattern sheet for the Chubby Chernobyl.

And a real Golden Stone.

It’s hard to understand why this fly is so effective. I don’t think it looks much like a stonefly, but the fish do and that’s all that counts! Try it in PURPLE…really!

Materials
Hook:
Daiichi 1260 or 1280, TMC 2302 #8
Thread:
Danville 6/0, tan or orange
Tail:
Pearl Krystal Flash
Body:
Golden Stone Ice Dub topped with pre-cut 2 mm foam
Legs:
Brown rubber or Flex Floss
Wing:
White poly or sparkle emerger yarn
Directions
- Start thread on hook and wind backwards to 50% point.
- Tie in a half dozen strands of Krystal Flash and continue wrapping back to barb. Fold strands back to form fuller tail and wind to barb.
- Dub a thick body from hook barb to hook point.
- Prepare foam by cutting slightly rounded butt with dimensions approximately 1 1/4 ” x 1/4”. Ensure foam is long enough to extend past hook eye.
- Tie in foam with several firm thread wraps.
- Tie on a 3 inch long hunk of poly wing in the middle of the foam. Secure firmly with thread wraps. Pull forward section back to create fuller wing.
- Tie on legs on each side of the foam (not on the dubbed body) to form rear legs.
- Cover thread wraps used to tie in legs and rear wing with dubbing.
- Pull foam, legs, and wings back and continue to dub forward to 1/4 point.
- Pull foam forward over body and tie down with several firm thread wraps.
- Tie on a 3 inches long hunk of poly wing in the middle of the strand.
- Tie in another set of legs.
- Pull wings back and cover with dubbing.
- Pull foam back and whip finish behind hook eye.
- Trim wings by pulling both sets straight up. Trim about shank length long.
- Trim legs so each set is about length of body.
Be sure to check out my post – Chubby Chernobyl Fly Patterns for more color combinations to match the real bugs.
Lastly, here is a link to my RiverKeeper Flies YouTube channel showing how I tie the Chubby Chernobyl Purple.