It’s late night. Leaning back in my hard wooden chair, I take a moment to stretch and yawn. Before me, a newly completed fly, a Golden Stonefly nymph pattern, rests in the jaws of my tying vise. Very tired, but pleased with the composition of the fly, I shift my sleepy eyes away from the hooked creation and refocus on several Covid masks lying among the fly’s ingredients scattered across the tabletop. This last year has been one crazy roller-coaster ride on the Covid pandemic not-so-merry-go-round. Thankfully, I have had the support of loved ones, the outdoors, my passion for fishing, and my love of fly tying.
For me, tying has always been about balance and proportions — and harmony. It’s a kind of magic, this commingling of disparate elements — thread, feathers, and fur, plastic and steel, coalescing into a cohesive, harmonious whole. A satisfying tie stares back at me as if saying, “Yes, I have always been, perfectly, this way. Thank you very much.” When I see a fly that looks right, such as the Golden Stone in my vise, complete in its harmonious composition, I just have to take it fishing — have some fun with it. Equally much fun is sharing how to make it. This is how we tie it, together.
Begin by selecting a 20-millimeter Waddington shank and place the straight rear return loop in the vise. Select a size 6 Daiichi 2557 hook, turn it point up, and thread the two ends of a 3-1/4-inch length of size large Senyo wire up through the eye, creating the beginning of a loop. Now pull it back until you can lift the loop up over the point and pull down, over, behind, and around the bend, then under the bend. Pull the two wire ends forward until the loop snugs against the eye. You should have two straight wire lengths extending forward of the eye. Next, with the hook point down, attach the two lengths along the shank’s bottom with golden olive 6/0 thread so that the hook eye is slightly beyond the Waddington’s rear eye. Finally, take the two forward ends of the wires and insert them up through the front Waddington eye. Bind down the wire along the top of the shank, stopping short of the rear eye. That completes the armature on which every other element will be attached.
Attach small black dumbbell eyes on top of the shank behind the hook eye. Next, advance the thread evenly back to the shank’s rear eye and lash in two rubber tails, snipping away the excess. Wind forward to the eye. Tie in one strand of gold flash and lash it down the length of the shank — there should be about four inches of flash hanging off the rear. Wind the thread to the front, lash in a length of yellow floss, wrap the floss over the flash down to the tail, then forward again to behind the eye, tie off, and trim the excess. Spiral forward the flash just short of the eye, tie it off, and trim it, too. Use marker pens to create a rear black band, followed by a smaller burnt orange band. Thinly cover the floss body with varnish, UV cure, or other protectant.
Three-quarters of the way up the shank, tie in two sets of Wapsi barred amber silicone legs, spaced a little apart, and trim to size. (You can also use the Wapsi leg material for the tails noted above.) Move the thread between the leg sets, dub the thread with Wapsi golden yellow Antron dubbing, and wrap between the sets, then behind, between, and then in front of the forward set of legs. Tie in and wrap a few turns of barred soft hackle (chickaboo, if available), trim away the excess, and finish shaping the head with thread around the dumbbell eyes. Whip finish and color the forehead with burnt orange marker. Treat the head with vanish or protectant, and you are done. Tying has always been a safe haven for me, where I can cleanse my mind of the worries of the world. It brings me harmony and joy. I hope that as you sit down at your vise, safe in your house, as you reach for your bobbin, you can forget for a little while that life hangs by a thread and that you, too, find harmony and are filled with peace.
— Andrew Guibord