Fly fishing guide Charles Robinton has put some serious trial and error into the design of his Chuck's FlutterStone. He thinks the result has the ideal amount of action, buggyness and overall attractiveness packed into the perfect stonefly profile.
I was inspired to create this fly while I lived in Eastern Idaho working as a guide on the South Fork of the Snake River. The South Fork along with several other rivers and streams in the area including the Teton River and the world famous Henry’s Fork of the Snake boast jaw dropping hatches of the two giant stoneflies: Pteronarcys californica commonly called “Salmonflies,” and the “Golden Stones,” of the family Perlidae.
Having three of the finest dry fly rivers in the West as my testing grounds enabled me to put some serious trial and error into the design of these stoneflies.
I had the chance to observe hundreds of specimens and put together what I believe to be a fly with the ideal amount of action, buggyness and overall attractiveness packed into the perfect stonefly profile.
The FlutterStone combines the qualities of two of my favorite stonefly imitations: the Rogue Foam Stonefly and the Stimulator.
The Rogue Foam is great because of its ultra realistic slim profile and segmented foam body. It rides low in the surface of the water but floats all day because it is made from buoyant foam and deer hair. Fish love the realism of this fly as it is dead drifted over their snouts during stonefly season and it has caught me my fare share of lunkers.
The Stimulator is another bug that has unmatched popularity among anglers. Its design makes it useful as a general attractor or to match a number of different adult terrestrial and aquatic insects. Unlike the Rogue Foam Stonefly the Stimulator is tied with thick bushy hackle palmered up the abdomen and thorax, which helps the fly to ride high on the surface of the water. The high riding design of this fly allows a skilled angler to flutter and skate the fly on the surface of the water and induce heart-stopping takes from big fish!
Each of these flies has a unique profile and sometimes the fish can be in the mood for one over the other. It is common to see anglers carrying many different stonefly patterns in order to seduce picky eaters. In general this is a good idea, however these are large flies and with all the patterns available on the market an angler could easily fill his entire fly box with just adult stoneflies! This is why having a single versatile fly that can be easily modified to fit a specific presentation can be invaluable.
Pondering the need for such a bug I designed the FlutterStone. The segmented foam body and bullet head along with the low profile wing give it convincing realism, while the clipped hackle wrap and rubber legs add action and movement. You can cut the legs short and tie the wing sparse to create a stonefly with a slim, unobtrusive profile or you can give it a fuller wing and leave the legs extra long to suggest the fluttering wings of an egg laden adult struggling in the surface of the water. Fish it dead drifted or skate and twitch it to add action. It all depends on the mood of the fish so experiment until you find what works. Good luck and have fun!
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