If you have been on the trout streams recently then you have probably been seeing the Little Yellow Stonefly hatch. The nymphs of this fly are very fragile, living in the leaf jams in the back eddies and in the moss below the water lines on large boulders. Since we have not had any strong floods recently, I have been seeing more of these nymphs this year.
Unlike most mayfly hatches which last only a month or less, the Little Yellow Stonefly may last over two months. This is a major food source for the trout.
There are three effective ways to fish this hatch.
- Fish to rising trout with the Murray’s Little Yellow Stonefly Dry size 16
- With a Murray’s Yellow Stonefly Nymph, fish upstream dead drift to cover the whole pool.
- Fish the dry fly with a stonefly nymph as a dropper. Fish this 2-fly rig upstream to systematically cover all of the pools as you wade slowly upstream.
I typically use a Murray’s Classic 7.5ft or Mountain Leader 6ft 6X leader on the small mountain trout streams with the flies listed above.
Fly Fishing Tip: Be sure to coat the dry fly and tippet with dry fly floatant before you start.