Fly Tying Inventory
Water Walker Stonefly
Water Walker Stonefly is a Will Dornan design, a slender foam dry fly built to look like a stonefly from below, where the trout see it. Knotted rubber legs and a slim profile do most of the work, and the rest of the tie is simple. Fly Fish Food fishes it during salmonfly hatches, including on the Henry's Fork in Idaho, and it fools selective trout as well. Change the colors and hook size to match your local stoneflies. Tied here on a size 8 hook.
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Materials
Bruiser Blend Junior Dubbing, hidden treasure (or Dirty Bug Yarn, caddis brown)
Hidden Treasure
Speckled Centipede Legs, medium, speckled brown
Speckled Brown · Medium
Rainy's Cross-Link Sheet Foam, 0.5mm, tan
Tan · 0.5mm
How to Tie the Water Walker Stonefly
- 1
Step 1
Mount the hook and start the thread, laying a base along the shank.
- 2
Step 2
Dub a slender body along the rear of the shank and stop at about the middle, where the legs and foam will be tied in.
- 3
Step 3
Cut a long, narrow strip of 2mm foam. Tie it on top of the shank at the end of the dubbing so one end points forward and the other points back.
- 4
Step 4
Tie in a length of centipede leg on each side of the thorax. Work toward three pairs of legs, with the rear pair angled back and the front pair angled forward.
- 5
Step 5
Knot the legs to form the joints, then adjust each one so it sits at a natural angle.
- 6
Step 6
Cut a strip of Cross-Link Sheet Foam for the wing, and tie it on top at the thorax so it lies back over the rear foam.
- 7
Step 7
Tie in a few strands of Krystal Flash at the same point so they lie along the wing, and trim the butts.
- 8
Step 8
Trim the front end of the foam strip to a short, blunt head.
- 9
Step 9
Trim the rear foam and the wing to length so they reach back over the hook.
- 10
Step 10
Trim the legs to length and clean up any stray ends.
- 11
Step 11
Whip finish at the thorax tie-in point.
Watch Tying Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgOcsPZnMRM
Credit: Will Dornan / Fly Fish Food