In Major League Baseball’s American League, one player in each team’s
line-up is paid millions to do one thing and do it well; the designated
hitter is employed to put runs on the scoreboard. Similarly, in the
sport of fly fishing, the Designated Hitter fly pattern is a stonefly
imitation designed to catch big trout – and nothing else.
Professional
fly fishing guide and accomplished fly designer and tyer, David Hill,
constructed the “DH” Stonefly during the 1990s while guiding clients in
the Missoula, Montana area, and this highly productive fly pattern is
built to last, cast after cast.
The Designated Hitter Golden
Stonefly is a fantastically attractive and durable imitation of an
emergent or adult Golden Stonefly. It’s got rubber legs for the
ultimate bug factor, a ragged dubbed body, closed cell foam butt, and a
stiff deer hair wing for visibility and flotation. When it comes to
effective stone fly imitations, this fly pattern’s got all the bases
covered!
Specifications:
- This fly was developed for Umpqua Feather Merchants by well-traveled professional fly fishing guide David Hill
- The fly is constructed with a butt of closed cell fly tying foam, realistic wings, attractive rubber legs, and stiff deer hair for high floatation
- Golden stonefly imitation in the emerger or adult life stage
- Use as either an impressionistic searching fly or as a realistic imitation when matching the hatch
- Drift the fly through different water types; faster riffles and shallower water near the banks of a river with moderate to slow currents are the most productive water types for this fly
- Golden stoneflies are available to trout all year long in trout water throughout North America
- Hatches occur consistently and with long duration throughout the daylight hours
- Strikes on golden stoneflies are often far from subtle because trout must often be prepared to rip these strong clingers from their rocky homes
- When approaching a shallow water environment with a stonefly imitation, be extremely careful not to spook happily feeding trout
- SIZE 10
When and Where to Fish Hill’s Designated Hitter Golden Stonefly
This
medium sized adult stonefly can be fished as either an impressionistic
fly pattern when searching for trout or as a realistic imitation when
matching the hatch. When searching, fish this fly in riffles, well
defined current seams, areas below faster currents, and near exposed
rocky structure and streamside vegetation. Shallow water near the river
bank will also be productive when fishing a golden stonefly hatch, so
be sure to survey the scene thoroughly. These adults do not possess
strong flying ability, however, and are often swept into the main
current’s drift – look for these floating specimens in the main drift
as well as shallower, less energetic water near sheltered areas. Prior
to and during emergence, an angler will easily spot golden stonefly
nymphs crawling from the rocky depths to the shallower water along the
river bank and eventually to the surface of exposed rocks and
vegetation to shed their shucks and hatch into winged adults – this is
the sign to begin fishing the golden stonefly hatch.
How to Fish Hill’s Designated Hitter Golden Stonefly
Fish
this fly in a variety of water types; because of their aggressive and
migratory feeding nature, strong crawling ability as nymphs, and
widespread proliferation in all kinds of trout water, just about
anywhere within a healthy aquatic ecosystem can be prime real estate
for golden stoneflies. A popular strategy is to fish these patterns on
a dead drift right through the main current – drifting an adult golden
stonefly through faster riffles, current seams, and the slower water
just below these areas can yield excellent results. Stonefly nymphs
emerge after crawling to the safety of the shoreline rather than
shedding their nymphal shucks in the water’s surface film like
mayflies. This pre- and during-emergence behavior renders shallower
streamside water quite productive just prior to and during a golden
stonefly emergence and hatch. Golden stones make themselves available
throughout the day all year long. Trout prey on them hungrily and
voraciously, so don’t be surprised when you feel an aggressive take –
set the hook confidently and with care if you happen to be fishing with
lighter leaders and tippet material!
Golden Stonefly
Golden stoneflies are medium to large
stoneflies that occur with great regularity and in large numbers in
trout waters throughout North America. These golden brown clinger
nymphs are widely distributed throughout rivers and streams, and this
broad distribution makes the species and important staple of any North
American trout’s regular diet. During the larval stage, which commonly
lasts anywhere from 1 to 3 years, golden stoneflies spend the balance
of their time using their powerful legs and low center of gravity to
cling to the rocky bottoms of small to large rivers and spring creeks
with moderate to fast flow rates. As nymphs, golden stoneflies display
pronounced tails and antennae as well as richly colored golden bellies.
As winged adults, these insects take on a rich straw, toffee, burnt
cream, or golden umber color and boast the flat wings common to all
adult stoneflies. The golden stonefly follows the life stages of a
typical stonefly life cycle and hatches across North America with great
availability throughout the year, making the species one of great
importance to both trout and fly anglers who try to fool them.
Golden Stonefly Emerger Life Stage
During
its emerger life stage, these crawlers are most commonly found in the
medium to fast water of riffles and higher energy current seams. Prior
to and during a hatch, these medium-to-large sized nymphs can also be
found in low energy backwaters, eddys, and other shallow streamside
environments. Golden stonefly nymphs thrive among the cool,
well-oxygenated water of rocky riffles and these nymphs are most
vulnerable to trout when they are either swept up by strong currents or
when they leave their rocky homes to hatch into winged adults from the
safety of the shoreline. Their swimming ability is quite weak and these
nymphs expose themselves by making adventurous crawling trips away from
safety just before emergence and subsequent on-land hatching. Golden
stones are an important hatch on many rivers in North America, and in
the west, they are often associated with the prolific hatches of the
giant salmonfly, which generally precede the hatches of the golden
stonefly. These easily distinguishable nymphs are available to trout
throughout the waters of North America on a year-round basis and
commonly hatch from morning to evening hours.
Golden Stonefly Adult Life Stage
After
migration to the foliage and rocks of the shoreline, golden stoneflies
shed the remainder of their nymphal shucks and quickly find mates under
the protective cover of streamside vegetation. The fertilized females
will then fly clumsily above the water, quickly darting to the surface
to deposit eggs, making themselves easy targets for aggressive
surface-feeding trout. Many adults will also fall from the safety of
streamside trees, weeds, and other vegetation. These unfortunate bugs
wind up in swept along with the main current and will often collect in
the slower water of eddys and along deeper cut banks. Golden stoneflies
in their adult stage are easily spotted as they are quite active during
and after their streamside mating time. Adults of the species can be
quite large and take on a distinctive yellow-brown coloration and boast
darkly colored antennae and tails as well as large darkly colored eyes.
Look for golden stonefly adults towards the end of a black stonefly
(salmonfly) hatch as they tend to become active shortly after these
large black bugs complete their life cycles.
About the Tyer: David Hill
Captain
David Hill is most well known for his Designated Hitter trout flies, a
line of effective fly patterns he designed for Umpqua Feather
Merchants. What most don’t know is that he actually spends over half of
his fly fishing time on the saltwater flats near Oahu, Hawai’i looking
for those silver bullets of the flats, the elusive and magical
bonefish. Even though he more recently discovered his passion for
saltwater fly fishing, David has strong roots in freshwater
environments; he got his start in Ohio chasing big trout and steelhead.
In 1996, he moved to Montana and began guiding professionally. Since
then, David has built his business and has traveled and fished
throughout the world with clients and on his own.
Leland on Umpqua
In
1972 a man named Dennis Black and his fly tying skills found themselves
in high demand. Mr. Black, then a professional production fly tyer, was
famous in the industry for his unsurpassed skill and speed with
whipping up tremendously beautiful and precisely constructed flies. It
wasn’t long until this young fly tying superstar realized that he ought
to take his consistent approach to quality to the next level. Shortly
after this realization, a small army of fly tyers had banded together
to support Mr. Black’s vision. With the likes of Dave Whitlock, Jack
Dennis, and Andy Puyans, Mr. Black was officially in business.
Dennis
Black’s new company Umpqua Feather Merchants quickly extended its reach
and fly production capabilities with expansion into India, Sri Lanka,
and Thailand, where the world’s first and full blown “fly tying
factories” were built. Since those early days, only the highest
standard of excellence has marked Umpqua and this commitment to quality
and efficiency continues to spur the company forward. Dennis Black’s
innovative vision for “fly production” has truly revolutionized how the
fly industry operates and has ultimately made the majority of
production flies better. From the first “royalty system” for rewarding
the most creative professional fly tyers to streamlining production
systems and offering a range of other products, Umpqua Feather
Merchants just seems to “do it all.”
Today, Umpqua Feather
Merchants is without a doubt the world’s best and most prolific
supplier of hand tied fly fishing flies as well as fly tying hooks and
materials, and they recently got better! Umpqua’s brand new, state of
the art headquarters in Louisville, Colorado marks another paradigm
shift in the way fly tying business is done. From its vast warehouse to
its specially designed inventory management and tracking system, Umpqua
is poised to continue its energetic trajectory and lead the way for the
next generation of flies and fly tyers.
Umpqua on Umpqua
"As you may or may not know, we're the
largest producer of quality hand-tied flies in the world. We also make
available through your local fly shop a wide array of the finest
fly-tying hackle and Tiemco hooks.
At Umpqua we offer
everything the angler needs to a have a first class fishing experience.
(Everything that is, but the water and the fish.)"
Umpqua on Dennis Black and the “Obvious Quest”
“The idea
first took shape in the hands of our founder, Dennis Black, back in
1972. As a fast and facile professional fly tyer, Dennis was known for
his skill and speed at producing hundreds of dozens of flies each year
for the larger mail order houses. But he was also quick to realize how
fast the demand for excellent flies would outstrip the abilities of
cottage industry types like him.
The Obvious Quest: To create
excellent flies in sufficient supply – without sinking his standards.
In response, Dennis developed (with characteristic care) a methodical
plan: First, he enlisted the tying expertise of the likes of Dave
Whitlock, Jack Dennis, Andy Puyans and others, to help him set the
standard of excellence for Umpqua flies.
Next, Dennis
established the first of what would eventually be five separate
fly-tying “factories,” first in India, then in Sri Lanka, and finally
in Thailand. The primary focus at each of these factories was on
producing the very best fishing flies possible, constructed of the very
best materials available. From the beginning, the quantity of flies
produced was secondary to the quality and excellence of each fly
pattern. These high standards were assured by the personal involvement
of the fly designers themselves, and by the ever-increasing skill,
imagination and creativity of the Umpqua production fly tiers. Today,
you will find no flies more skillfully tied than those available from
Umpqua Feather Merchants.
Finally, Dennis created a system of
royalty payments, to reward professional tyers like Whitlock, Lefty
Kreh, Randall Kaufman, Larry Dahlberg, and Bob Popovics for uniquely
good patterns.
The Result: Today, Umpqua produces umpteen
thousand dozen flies, from micro-scopic midge imitations to the huge
patterns favored by marlin and sailfish. And the "Umpquality" – you’ll
see for yourself.”
