Stonefly Nymphs - Weighted or Not?

[Phil K]

Tungsten bead and lead wraps with mono sides for that sweet flattened tapered look…

Fished in the fast water just after the tail out.

Could you give us a quick explanation or pic to show that flattened side concept?

 

[FinLuver]

Could you give us a quick explanation or pic to show that flattened side concept?

(Sorry for the crappy cellphone pics)
There is 8lb mono strapped to each side, after pic 2. I use this technique on my stoneflies with dubbing and my woven stones (Vladi’s technique).

 

[rattlesnake]

I like the lead and mono trick to make a flat profile.

I’ve used aunt Lydia’s rug yarn (craft store Antron yarn) that I tie in on the sides. It’s a corded yarn with 3 strands. Take one strand down one side and another down the other. Then do similar with another strand in the thorax area. Works well for building the body but obv doesn’t add weight.

I like the way this turns out but haven’t used it on flies in a while. I’ll sometimes tie in say the d rib or wire on the side of the hook to flatten the fly a little.

 

[FinLuver]

I like the lead and mono trick to make a flat profile.

I’ve used aunt Lydia’s rug yarn (craft store Antron yarn) that I tie in on the sides. It’s a corded yarn with 3 strands. Take one strand down one side and another down the other. Then do similar with another strand in the thorax area. Works well for building the body but obv doesn’t add weight.

I like the way this turns out but haven’t used it on flies in a while. I’ll sometimes tie in say the d rib or wire on the side of the hook to flatten the fly a little.

I did the folded yarn strand, back n forth on each side, to build up the tapered body on this dragon nymph. I like the result, but very time consuming.

This one would be used on a floating line, long leader. I have toyed around with a foam underbody, to use on a sinking line, to float the fly above the weed beds. Still working on that one.

 

[rattlesnake]

@FinLuver yea the bug looks great! But agree, the buildup with yarn is time consuming despite how nice the fly turns out. I don’t use this technique much anymore

 

[kmudgn]

Based on my experience, I do not use a tungsten bead for my stone nymphs. My thought is that the heavy weight of the bead head holds the fly down too "hard". I use a brass bead and weight with non-lead wire wrapped around the hook. My set-up gets the fly down, but allows it to bounce and move across the bottom. This is especially important in many of the rivers I fish which have large rocks that tend to snag flies.