Fly Tyers Corner:
Jonathan Jacobs’ GOLDEN STONE CHUBBY
- Hook: Daiichi 1260, size 8
- Thread: Uni, 6/0 Yellow
- Tail: Eight strands orange Krystal Flash
- Underbody: Thin strip of scrap foam covered with gold Ice Dub
- Lower Body: 2mm Gold Thin Fly Foam
- Upper Body: 2mm Tan Thin Fly Foam
- Wings: Two strands polypropylene macrame yarn in Insect Gray from Charlie’s Fly Box
- Legs: Hareline Barred Rubber, Med., Fl. Yellow Chartreuse
I have been fortunate to, along with two boon companions, spend the second week of July fishing Montana’s Gallatin and Madison Rivers. It was on these trips that I first encountered the nearly mythical Salmon Fly hatch. This event is a spectacle with huge creatures from the Carboniferous Era everywhere along, above, and, most importantly for an angler, on the water.
This year, however, we three amigos will make our trip to Montana in the third week of July and the salmon flies will likely be a memory by then. Hatch charts for the area say that a slightly smaller stonefly, the golden stone, follows the salmon fly hatch. I’d come to admire Cheech Pierce’s Chubby Chernobyl Salmon fly and thought that I might tie a similar fly in golden stone colors on a smaller hook.
That’s the origin story. Despite its Montana roots, I think the fly, or a very similar one, might have its uses here in the Midwest. A size 10 version tied a bit sparser and in perhaps more muted colors could make an excellent hopper imitation hereabouts. With its robust foam body and buoyant wing material, it’s sure to make a great top fly in any hopper/dropper combo. You can follow a link to a video that shows you how I tie the fly. In the video I explain the origin of the name and offer prejudiced opinions about our sport. I hope you enjoy it.
Click HERE to see video
