Here is the fly pattern sheet for McPhails Golden Stonefly Nymph Variant.
A handful of flies comparing a regular gold beadhead with those using the optional Nymph-Head® Evolution™ Stonefly tungsten beadheads from Flymen Fishing Co.
The fly on the left is a #6 TMC 2457; middle #8 Daiichi 1730 bent shank hook; and right #6 Daiichi 1730 bent shank hook.
Here is a real Golden Stone nymph. Probably has another year to grow before hatching:
Materials
Hook:
Daiichi 1120, TMC 2457, Daiichi 1730, #6 – 8
Thread:
UTC yellow olive 70 or 140 denier
Bead:
Gold
Underbody:
Lead
Back:
Thin Skin – Mottled Oak, Golden Stone
Body:
Spirit River UV2 Caddis/Nymph dubbing – Golden Stone
Tail:
Gold goose biot
Rib:
Small gold wire
Legs:
Super Floss – brown; Life Flex – brown (Hareline code – LFX40) or tan (Hareline code – LFX369); or medium round rubber – dark golden stone (Hareline code – MRR90)
Thorax cover:
Thin Skin – Mottled Oak – Golden Stone
Directions:
- If using lead foil, cut 2 mm strips and create tapered body. Start at back of hook and spiral to eye. Start at back of hook, 2 turns up and spiral forward, stopping 3 turns from eye. Start again, 1 ½ turns up from last starting point, stopping 2 turns from last time. Lastly, start at back of hook and cover all previous wraps, stopping 1 ½ turns from eye. If using lead wire, create similar taper.
- Cover with thread.
- Tie in nymph skin. Cut skin to create pencil point for easy tie in.
- Create dubbing ball with dubbing.
- Tie in goose biots on side of body.
- Tie in gold wire for rib.
- Dub body to 50% of hook. Use small amount of dubbing as body shape was created by lead.
- Bring nymph skin forward, stretching material tightly. Tie down with thread, then use wire to secure with 6 – 7 turns.
- Use small amount of dubbing to cover thread wraps.
- Pull back skin and tie in legs. Cover with dubbing.
- Fold skin over body and slide skin backwards to create 1st thorax cover segment. Cover thread wraps with dubbing.
- Fold skin over body and slide skin backwards to1/2 of 2nd thorax cover segment. Cover thread wraps with dubbing.
- Cover head area with dubbing.
- Pull skin forward, stretching skin and tie down. Cover with dubbing to create larger head area.
- Pull skin backwards over head and tie off where 3rd thorax segment was tied off.
- Whip finish.
- Place UV Resin over head area.
Personal tying notes:
- Some tungsten beads won’t fit around curved hook. Use brass with couple extra turns of .025 lead under wire.
- Optional – Nymph-Head® Evolution™ Stonefly tungsten beadheads from Flymen Fishing Co. Use size M (hook size #10 – 8) with TMC 2457 #6.
- Size 6 curved hooks seem proportionately small. See image above showing hooks.
Here is a link to my RiverKeeper Flies YouTube channel where I demonstrate the fly.
