Clarks Golden Stone

Here is the fly pattern sheet for Lee Clark’s Golden Stone.

And a Clarks Golden Stone with light hackle.

Here’s a real Golden Stone:

Directions:

1. Start the thread behind the eye and lay down a thread base on the shank to just above the barb of the hook.
2. Tie in a length of tinsel at the barb and spiral the thread forward to the 1/3 position. Wind the tinsel forward using touching turns. Tie off the tinsel and trim excess. (Optional – add head cement or super glue to hook before wrapping forward for additional strength.)
3. Comb and blend poly yarn and tie atop the hook at the front of the body. Trim the yarn about a hook gape beyond the bend of the hook. Trim the tag end of the poly yarn at the front.
4. Select and clean a bundle of deer or elk hair. Stack hair if you like, but Lee Clark recommends not stacking. Place the hair wing over the poly yarn with the tips of the wing extending 1/4 inch beyond the end of the yarn. Secure the wing in place with thread wraps and trim the butts down to a taper. Cover the tapered butts with thread wraps to form a smooth base for the hackle.
5. Select a hackle feather sized to the hook and tie it in at the front of the wing. Wind the hackle feather forward 6 – 10 turns. Tie off and trim.
6. Form a neat tapered thread head and whip-finish.
7. Cut a V-notch at the bottom of the hackle to give a lower profile when the fly sits on the water.

Here is a link to my RiverKeeper Flies YouTube channel where I demonstrate tying Clark’s Lady Stone. The only difference is an added tail. The fly shown in the video imitate a Golden Stone.

Note: This is a style of fly that can be used for any stonefly (e.g., Little Yellow Stone, Little Green Stone, Salmonfly). Coordinate the thread and body color, changing the thread to match the underwing. Use Varigated Rust, Gold, Orange or Green underwings to match these flies. 

This fly is designed to sit low in the water. To help float the fly in faster water, add a few turns of hackle.

For more information on the real bugs, check out my post Golden Stoneflies.

Check out Lee’s new version of the Golden Stone…Clarks Lady Stone.

Lee gave me this pin from the 1988 Sportsman Show during the 50th Anniversary of the IFFF.