
Salmonfly Dry - Orange Stimulator
Randall Kaufmann's Stimulator in orange, the go-to dry fly for the legendary Salmonfly hatch. Combines palmered hackle with a stacked elk hair wing for exceptional floatation in heavy water. The bright orange body with grizzly thorax hackle is highly visible and irresistible during the hatch.
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Materials
2XL dry fly hook (TMC 200R or Daiichi 1270), size 4-10
Fluorescent fire orange 6/0 or 8/0
Natural elk hair, short bunch, flared
Fine gold wire
Orange sparkle dubbing or orange Antron dubbing
Brown saddle hackle, 1-2 sizes smaller than hook, palmered through body
Natural elk hair, stacked and tied downwing, extending to mid-tail
Hot orange or reddish-orange dubbing (STS Trilobal)
Grizzly saddle hackle, one size larger than body hackle, wound through thorax
How to Tie the Salmonfly Dry - Orange Stimulator
- 1
Step 1
Secure the hook and start thread at the rear. Tie in a short, flared bunch of elk hair for the tail. The tail should extend about half a shank length past the bend.
- 2
Step 2
Tie in fine gold wire at the base of the tail for the rib.
- 3
Step 3
Tie in a brown saddle hackle by the stem at the tail base, dull side facing you.
- 4
Step 4
Dub a slightly tapered orange body forward, stopping at about the 60% point on the shank.
- 5
Step 5
Palmer the brown hackle forward over the dubbed body in evenly spaced spirals.
- 6
Step 6
Counter-wrap the gold wire rib forward through the palmered hackle to lock it down. Tie off both.
Counter-wrapping the wire through the hackle prevents individual wraps from unwinding if fibers break.
- 7
Step 7
Stack and measure a bunch of elk hair for the wing. Tie it in at the thorax point with tips extending to mid-tail.
- 8
Step 8
Dub a thick thorax with hot orange dubbing in front of and behind the wing base.
- 9
Step 9
Tie in a grizzly hackle and wind it through the thorax in 3-4 turns. Tie off behind the eye.
- 10
Step 10
Build a small thread head, whip finish, and apply head cement.
Trim the elk hair butts at an angle for a smooth taper to the head.
Watch Tying Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Zv1nRhwVhI
Credit: Randall Kaufmann