SKWALA STIMULATOR
HOOK: Tiemco #200 size 10
THREAD: Olive 8/0
EGG SACK: Black 1/8 inch foam
RIBBING: Small copper Ultra Wire
ABDOMEN: Yellow Sunburst Caliente or yellow synthetic dubbing mixed with a small pinch of pearl Lite-Bright
ABDOMEN HACKLE: Black Saddle
WING: Black Web Wing
OVER WING: Bleached Elk
HACKLE: Black Saddle
LEGS-ANTENNA: Medium Black Rubber
THORAX: Black Caliente or black synthetic dubbing mixed with a pinch of pearl Lite-Bright.
- Cut piece of black foam 1/4 inch wide. Round off one end, this will imitate the egg sack. Tie the foam in over the hook barb with the rounded end extending back 1/4 inch. Clip off the waste foam. Tie in the ribbing and then dub the abdomen up to the 2/3 mark.
- Tie in the black saddle by the butt (fibers should be no longer than the hook gape) and reverse rib back to the ribbing tie in point. Use the ribbing to tie off the saddle and then bring the ribbing forward through the hackle to the end of the abdomen.
- Clip the hackle ribbing flush with the top of the abdomen and cut a piece of Web Wing about two inches long (the width of the hook gape). Round one end to represent a folded stonefly wing and taper the sides to a width of approximately 1/2 the hook gape ( this will enable you to get the wing set properly). Tie in with the rounded end of the wing extending about 1/8 inch beyond the egg sack. Cut off the excess Web Wing. Stack a small bunch of bleached elk and tie in on top of the Web wing tie off. Trim off the excess.
- Tie in black saddle hackle. Cut two pieces of black rubber leg, each about two inches long. Tie in one on each side of the thorax area from the end of the wing to just behind the hook eye leaving the center open for the dubbing and hackle. The rubber leg material should extend along the body to the bend of the hook in back and in front about abdomen length; trim if necessary. Dub the thorax and wind the hackle 4 to 5 times over the thorax and tie off behind the antenna. Whip finish behind the eye and cut the thorax hackle level with the body hackle. This enables the fly to sit down in the surface film.
Skwala stoneflies do not cover a wide area of California but, thankfully, the Lower Yuba River has a substantial population as does the Truckee area.
The Skwala Stonefly is similar in appearance to the golden stone of early spring and summer but is smaller than the golden. The abdomen is a dirty yellow with a slight olive tinge (Why I use olive thread). Also, the wings are dark gray unlike the golden stone’s light brown. The hatch on the Lower Yuba can begin as early as December but usually doesn’t get started in earnest until early January. You can fish this hatch into mid-April before the fish begin to lose their interest!
The adults are best imitated by a Stimulator type pattern in size #10 3x long. Early in the emergence a bushy pattern will work but, as the hatch progresses, it is important that your imitation sits low in the surface film. If you watch the female adult on the water, you will see that she looks like a black stick with moving legs. The low riding artificials should include the female’s prominent black egg sack.
There are a few things to remember when you are fishing a dry adult pattern. The adults hide out in the streamside willows and brush during the coldest part of the day. The egg-laying flights don’t start until the temperatures are warm enough for the females to fly. This normally happens in the early afternoon. By fishing a dry fly alongside the willows and brush in the warmest part of the day, you will be fishing effectively. You can tell when the fish begin to feed on the females. The rise is an explosion, especially early in the emergence in January. Later in the emergence, the rises will not be as explosive but will be heavy swirls.