Fly of the Week:Judson Stone

This weeks fly is a new one I am going to try out this summer. Al and Gretchen Beatty featured this one on their "From the Fly Box" located at Idahoflyfisher.com. Since I am an Al and Gretchen Beatty fan I decided to make it this weeks fly of the week.

It's a must have pattern for Idaho streams where stoneflies live and that includes almost all of them. This pattern is particularly effective from early winter until it hatches into an adult in early spring. We like to fish it dead-drift through holding water. As spring approaches cast the nymph closer to the stream bank because the insects crawl out of the water to hatch on streamside vegetation. They often take up to a month to move to the waters edge from their homes in the more central part of the stream. The closer your offering is to their actual location spells success.
Judson Stone

Tied by: Merne R. Judson, Gunnison, CO
Hook: Size 12 to 16, Mustad C53S, 80050BR, Daiichi 1270, 1273, Eagle Claw LO52, TMC 200R, 2312, or DaiRiki 270
Thread: Brown Gudebrod BCS#66 or Uni-Thread Rusty Brown
Weight: Lead .020
Tail: Brown biots
Abdomen: Brown Kaufman stone mix dubbing, brown biot back
Rib: Fine copper wire
Wing pads: Two brown biots
Thorax: Brown Kaufman dubbing
Legs: Whiting or Ewing hen hackle
Antenna: Biots from wing pad
Head: Brown Kaufman dubbing, thread

Tying Instruction

1. Place the hook in the vise and wrap the lead wire onto the front part of the shank. Be certain not to crowd the hook eye; you will need the extra space later. Flatten the lead wraps with a pair of pliers. Attach the tying thread in front of the shaped lead, criss cross wrap over the weighted area, and wrap to a point directly above the hook barb. Apply head cement to the thread covered lead wraps.

2. Tie on the biots for the tail and use a ball of dubbing to divide them. Trim the excess; then tie on a single biot by the tip to later form the abdomen back. Attach the copper wire at this location as well.

3. Apply dubbing to the back half of the hook shank. Fold over the biot back and anchor it in the center of the hook where the dubbed abdomen stops. Wrap the copper wire forward ribbing over the abdomen. Trim the excess wire and biot.

4. Measure two biots so they are about as long as the hook. Bind them to the shank with the tips pointing to the back. Prepare a hen feather by removing the fluff and stroking the fibers back so they are straight out from the stem. Tie the feather on by the tip (concave side up) in the center of the hook shank.

5. Mentally divide the front part of the hook into three equal parts. Apply dubbing to the center most part, fold over the hen feather, and then the two biots. Bind all in place with a couple of thread wraps then fold the feather and biots back again.

6. Dub the next part of the thorax. Fold the hen feather over this second section, bind it to the hook, and trim the excess. Now fold over the two biots and bind them to the hook wrapping all the way to the eye covering the front third of our thorax. The remaining tips form the antenna. Dub over the thread wraps to form the head, whip finish, and trim the excess thread. Apply Aqua Head or head cement as needed.