Stonefly help please!

[Jeremy Floyd]

Ok, this is my problem. When I make stoneflies I generally end up making wimpy skinny looking ones. I have tried putting on more dubbing etc and also winding more wraps of it. I havent found a good consistent method though that gives a nice even taper towards the center of the body.

When I add more dubbing it is difficult to guestimate how thick I need to make it how fast because if I miss by much I either get a skinny bug or I get one with ghetto booty.

I would guess that 1 out of 3 that I make really look professional. I hate not having my flies look better than what I can buy for $1.50 each.

So my question is how do you get a consistent product?

[Curtis]

It is not always the professional looking ones that catch fish!!!

[Jeremy Floyd]

See my body is skinny compared to the outline of the ones I buy. I use a different dubbing though and I am not sure which kind to get to replicate that.
http://www.washingtonflyfishing.com/gallery/data/508/Stone_flies.jpg

[Jason]

They use brown vinyl rib with gives it some thickness.

[Willie Bodger]

I believe that if you cut one of them part you would find that they build up their underbody with something they can taper well with. If it's not too big, you can use thread. This might work better with a yarn or something a little thicker than thread so you don't use a whole spool on 4 flies...

[Curtis King]

Hey Sub,
Are you weighting them with lead wrap? I wrap the forward section in lead, then squeeze the lead into a wide flat taper before finishing the wrapover with threat. You can customize the body very easily this way. Give it a shot and see how it works for you.
:thumb:

[Big Tuna]

I wrap my stonefly bodies w/ lead wire. The thorax is wrapped w/ a heavier gauge wire to achieve the taper. I also use v-rib or the like on the abdomen. Lastly, personally I don't like the big fat stoneflies. I believe the Kauffman stones are tied to overexaggerate as a strike-inciting mechanism. The stoneflies that I see in rivers are significantly smaller in diameter, so I tie mine so that I believe that are a more exact representation.

[Jeremy Floyd]

I will start with this. I used .010 lead and .025 lead to try and proportion is better. This sucker is gonna be HEAVY though. No chance of throwing with my 4 wt.

http://www.washingtonflyfishing.com/gallery/data/500/scn0007.jpg

[Jeremy Floyd]

I ended up with this;

http://www.washingtonflyfishing.com/gallery/data/500/Still_looks_wimpy.jpg

Still looks really wimpy though but I am sure it will work as well as the ones I have been tying the last couple years.

[salty spey]

Another thought for you -- I used to have to tie several hundred dozen stones a year. Stonefly nymphs are not round but are wider than they are deep. Take a look at a natural sometime from the side especially the back 2/3rds of the bug. I would weight mine with lead but instead of wrapping 20 thousandths wire around the hook i would use 40 thousandths and lash it with thread to both sides of the hook shank. When you dub the fly utilize a dubbing loop and make the body very fuzzy. Then just trim the top and bottom flat and presto a very realistic and buggy profile. You would not be able to use 2 beads but you shouldn't have to. Your fly will have a much more realistic profile if you don't opt for the fat look. You obviously tie a really clean fly so you should have no trouble with this method.

[Jeremy Floyd]

Thanks I will try that.

[Jeremy Floyd]

Okies here is take number 2.

I didnt have any thicker lead that .025 so I went out to the shop and clipped off some pieces of marine grade stainless .060 TIG rods.

I tied these on the sides of the hook shank. It is definitely oval shape. I would guess about twice as wide as thick now.

Then I used a pre-made dubbing that is synthetic instead of the quick descent metallic dubbing I normally spin up myself and use for nymphs.

I tied it on a size 6 instead of a size 8 XL. I was crowded so I only had room for one wing casing.

The one on the right is the second one.
http://www.washingtonflyfishing.com/gallery/data/500/Black_Stone_take_two.jpg

That looks a lot better guys. Thanks for the advice.

[flytire]

No lead here

http://www.myfishingpictures.com/img/112729.jpg

[floydiology]

heres a little tutorial i put together, hope you find some use for it. This is for an early season stonefly such as an immature salmonfly or winter stone.http://www.flyfishnw.com/patternDetail.php?id=56