The famous nocturnal Hex hatch of the Midwest (and a few other lucky locations) stirs to the surface mythically large brown trout that only touch streamers for the rest of the year.
Zugbuggin on Aug 20, 2010August 20th, 2010, 11:07 am EDT
Now that the temps are hi I've put up my fly rod and I'm spending time refilling my fly boxes getting ready for the Fall & Winter fishing. Last January & Febuary I spend time on the Chattogga River. At times saw spradic hatches of Early Black Stoneflys in sizes 16 & 18, there was very little surface activity so I went to the nymph. The closet thing I had was a Pheasant Tail #16 tied from dyed black pheasant tail with a copper rib which I did ok with. Does anybody have a pattern for a Early Black Stonefly nymph in a size #16 or #18
GONZO on Aug 20, 2010August 20th, 2010, 11:51 am EDT
Just a thought, Tony: The little black stoneflies that you see in Jan. and Feb. are probably Capniidae. Despite the impression given by some tying books, the nymphs are usually more of a reddish brown or yellowish brown rather than black. A standard PT would make a pretty good imitation.