Fly Pattern: Stimulator
Tier's Name: Bob Coons
Date: February 3,2015
Fly Originator and History: The jury is out as to whether Randall Kaufmann or
Jim Slattery get credit for inventing (or possibly re-inventing) the fly.
Regardless, the stimulator seems to have first appeared in the 1980's and has
gone through a few changes since then.
How the Fly is Fished
Suggested line and leader: Floating line with a tapered leader.
Suggested retrieve: Try various retrieves (slow, fast, etc) with an occasional twitch.
Depth: On the surface.
Comments: Try adding a dropper to increase your chances.
Fly Material
Hook: Size 8,10 or 12, 3X long. TMC 200R or equivalent.
Thread: Fire Orange Uni 6/0
Tail: Deer hair
Body: Orange Sparkle Yarn (from Wapsi). Try different colors.
Hackle: Brown saddle hackle.l
Wing: Elk hair.
Front Hackle: Grizzly saddle hackle
Tying Steps
1. Tie in a thread base from about two-eye-lengths behind the eye to a about
a third of the way down the bend. Build up a small ball of thread to suggest
a small egg. Then wrap the thread back to a point just above the barb ("the bend").
2. Tail. The tail should extend about a half-inch beyond the end of the hook.
Select a small amount of deer hair and tie it in .
3. Body. Separate a strand from the orange sparkle yarn hank. To ensure an even
body, lay an end of the yarn along the shank so that it spans about 3/4 of the
length of the shank. Tie in the yarn from the bend to the 3/4 point and back.
4. Select a brown hackle feather and tie it in at the bend.
5. Wrap the yarn forward to the 3/4 point, building up the body as you wrap.
Tie it off and cut off the excess.
6. Hackle. Palmer the hackle forward to the 3/4 point. Tie it off and cut off
the excess
7. Wing. When tied in, the tips of the wing should be about even with the end
of the hook. Clean and stack a bundle of elk hair.
8. Tie in the elk hair wing just in front of the yarn body. Trim the excess
fibers at the base and wrap the thread over the exposed ends, forming a platform
for the hackle.
9. Front hackle. Tie in a grizzly hackle, first giving it a couple of wraps
backward to compress the wing. Then wrap forward, giving it 8 or 10 close wraps.
Tie off the hackle and cut off the excess.
10. Form a small head, whip finish, and apply head cement.
Rick Shadforth 04/01/15
