Speckled Olive Stonefly Nymph
by @dekasso
Realistic Stonefly Nymph · Nymph
Sunlight on mossy rocks, legs reaching out
A realistic stonefly nymph in speckled olive, tan and black on a size 8 nymph hook, tied to crawl along the bottom of fast trout water.
A realistic stonefly nymph sits in the vise above sunlit, mossy river stones, every leg and tail splayed. Its speckled olive back, banded tan legs and glossy black wing cases carry the colours of the rocks beneath it.
- Pattern
- Realistic Stonefly Nymph
- Imitates
- Stonefly nymphs crawling to shore
- When
- typically late spring into early summer
- Hook
- size 8
- Tippet
- 3Xrule of three
- Size 8 nymph hook with lead-free wire
- Two stacked mottled black wing cases
- Banded tan legs, tails and antennae
- Wire-ribbed speckled olive abdomen
- Black mono eyes at the head
On the water
Two glossy black wing cases shine over a speckled olive back. Banded tan legs reach out in six directions, and striped tails and antennae fan from either end. A shaggy olive thorax and black eyes finish a bug that looks ready to walk off the vise.
Fish it deep in riffles and pocket water, where real stoneflies cling to the undersides of rocks. A dead drift right on the bottom is the starting point. Let it swing up at the end of the run, the way a nymph tumbles loose from a stone.
Thin Skin wing cases make or break this tie. Cut two separate cases, the rear one smaller, and lay each flat over the thorax so they stack like shingles with a clean gap of dubbing between them.
Rigging
- Tippet
- 3Xhook size divided by three
- Leader
- Nine feet, with fluorocarbon tippet to get it down
- Rig on 3X to 4X fluorocarbon so the heavy fly turns over and survives the rocks.
- Add split shot if needed to tick bottom; the fly should bump stones through the drift.
- Try it as the point fly with a smaller nymph trailing behind it.
Where and when
- Hatch
- Stonefly nymphs crawling to shoretypically late spring into early summer
- Target
- Trout
- Water type
- Fast riffles, pocket water and boulder-strewn freestone runs
- Also fishes
- Also worth drifting below a big dry in summer, or swinging through tailouts on higher, coloured water after rain.
Make it yourself
Advanced9 materials · 11 steps
- Pattern
- Realistic Stonefly Nymph
- Style
- Nymph
- Hook
- Tiemco 5263size 8
- Thread
- Olive 6/0
Materials in the order they go on the hook
- WeightLead-free wire
- TailBarred tan rubber legs
- RibBlack Ultra Wire
- BodyMottled olive Thin Skin
- WingMottled black Thin Skin
- ThoraxOlive squirrel dubbing
- LegsBarred tan rubber legs
- AntennaeBarred tan rubber legs
- HeadBlack mono eyes
Details
- Imitates
- Stonefly nymph
- Colors
- Olive, Tan, Black
How to tie it
The steps, from first wrap to whip finish (11)
- Mount the hook and wrap a thread base from the eye to the start of the bend.
- Wrap lead-free wire over the middle of the shank and flatten it slightly with flat pliers for a wide profile.
- Tie in two barred rubber leg tails at the bend, splayed in a V and about half a shank length long.
- Tie in the black wire rib at the bend.
- Tie in a strip of mottled olive Thin Skin and wrap it forward in overlapping turns over the rear 60 percent of the shank.
- Counter-wrap the wire rib through the abdomen in even bands and tie off.
- Tie in the first mottled black Thin Skin wing case, cut to a rounded tip, over the front of the abdomen.
- Dub a small ball of olive squirrel dubbing and tie in a pair of barred rubber legs at each side.
- Lay the second wing case over the first and dub the front half of the thorax, adding the front pair of legs.
- Figure-eight the black mono eyes just behind the hook eye and tie in two barred rubber antennae in front of them.
- Dub around the eyes to form the head, whip finish and pick out the thorax fibres for a buggy outline.
Proportions (5)
- Tails: about half the shank length, splayed wide.
- Abdomen: rear 60 percent of the shank, front 40 percent for thorax and head.
- Legs: roughly a shank length tip to tip, angled back and down.
- Wing cases: rear case slightly shorter than the front one.
- Antennae: about two-thirds of the shank length.
Tips (4)
- Stretch the Thin Skin a little as you wrap so each segment sits tight and clean.
- Pull the rubber legs to the sides with a half hitch to stop them sweeping back.
- Flattening the wire underbody gives the wide, flat stonefly shape seen from below.
- Brush the thorax with a dubbing teaser after the whip finish to free the guard hairs.
Common mistakes (4)
- Too much thorax dubbing buries the wing cases; dub thin and build in two small sections.
- Legs all on one side; tie each pair on the near and far side in turn and check from above.
- Rib wraps too close together blur the banding; space them evenly at about one turn per segment.
- Crowded eye; leave a full hook-eye width of bare shank before the mono eyes go on.
Every kit size
Materials only
Size 8 · Materials only · 12 flies
$51.85
$4.32 a fly
Includes Tiemco 5263 · Black mono eyes · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 11 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5263$6.50
- Black mono eyes$5.95
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$2.95
- Lead-free wire$3.25
- Black Ultra Wire$3.25
Materials
- Barred tan rubber legs$10.50
- Other material: Mottled olive Thin Skin$4.50
- Other material: Mottled black Thin Skin$4.50
- Olive squirrel dubbing$4.50
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 8 · Materials only · 48 flies
$131.81
$2.75 a fly
Bought separately $138.75 · you save $6.94
Includes Tiemco 5263 · Black mono eyes · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 11 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5263$13
- Black mono eyes$11.90
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$5.90
- Lead-free wire$6.50
- Black Ultra Wire$6.50
Materials
- Barred tan rubber legs$35
- Other material: Mottled olive Thin Skin$18
- Other material: Mottled black Thin Skin$18
- Olive squirrel dubbing$18
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 8 · Materials only · 144 flies
$314.03
$2.18 a fly
Bought separately $356.85 · you save $42.82
Includes Tiemco 5263 · Black mono eyes · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 11 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5263$35
- Black mono eyes$35.70
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$17.70
- Lead-free wire$13
- Black Ultra Wire$13
Materials
- Barred tan rubber legs$101.50
- Other material: Mottled olive Thin Skin$45
- Other material: Mottled black Thin Skin$45
- Olive squirrel dubbing$45
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
With vise & tools
Size 8 · With vise & tools · 12 flies
$201.85
$16.82 a fly
Includes Tiemco 5263 · Black mono eyes · and 18 more
Every item in this kit · 20 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5263$6.50
- Black mono eyes$5.95
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$2.95
- Lead-free wire$3.25
- Black Ultra Wire$3.25
Materials
- Barred tan rubber legs$10.50
- Other material: Mottled olive Thin Skin$4.50
- Other material: Mottled black Thin Skin$4.50
- Olive squirrel dubbing$4.50
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 8 · With vise & tools · 48 flies
$274.31
$5.71 a fly
Bought separately $288.75 · you save $14.44
Includes Tiemco 5263 · Black mono eyes · and 18 more
Every item in this kit · 20 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5263$13
- Black mono eyes$11.90
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$5.90
- Lead-free wire$6.50
- Black Ultra Wire$6.50
Materials
- Barred tan rubber legs$35
- Other material: Mottled olive Thin Skin$18
- Other material: Mottled black Thin Skin$18
- Olive squirrel dubbing$18
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
Size 8 · With vise & tools · 144 flies
$446.03
$3.10 a fly
Bought separately $506.85 · you save $60.82
Includes Tiemco 5263 · Black mono eyes · and 18 more
Every item in this kit · 20 items
Hooks & beads
- Tiemco 5263$35
- Black mono eyes$35.70
Thread & wire
- Olive 6/0 thread$17.70
- Lead-free wire$13
- Black Ultra Wire$13
Materials
- Barred tan rubber legs$101.50
- Other material: Mottled olive Thin Skin$45
- Other material: Mottled black Thin Skin$45
- Olive squirrel dubbing$45
Finishing
- Head cement$5.95
Tools
- Rotary pedestal vise$79
- Ceramic bobbin$14
- Fine-point scissors$16
- Whip finisher$9
- Hackle pliers$7
- Bodkin$5
- Bobbin threader$4
- Dubbing wax$4
- Canvas tool roll$12
Guide
- Printed recipe and tying stepsIncluded
The creator
Remixes
1 remix of this
Where this came from
fly pattern · made
1 remix
25 — from 1 remix, at the Derby's published weights, since . Views are not counted.
- stonefly
- stonefly nymph
- realistic
- olive
- tan
- black
- rubber legs
- thin skin
- trout
- riffles
- pocket water
- freestone