When spring dances along the banks of the rivers that trace a swath of the Pacific Northwest from Washington to Idaho and
Montana, a stirring among trout anglers itching for some
action can be felt.
Idaho-based fly fishing guide and innovative fly tyer, Ken Burkholder,
has fished more skwala hatches than probably anyone in the Pacific
Northwest. He knows and understands how to take advantage of banner
spring days when these olive-greenish-black stoneflies begin to fly off
the water's surface, and he's put his knowledge and observation into a
fantastic fly pattern for use in just such prime time occasions.
Burkholder's Bear Back Skwala is an impressive imitation of a skwala
stonefly in its adult life stage. This medium sized offering has a long
abdomen, buggy palmered hackle fibers, wiggly rubber legs, and a tuft
of pink foam along its back for high visibility in rough spring water.
When the melt hits the Clark Fork, there's nothing like fishing a Bear
Back Skwala.
Specifications:
- This fly was developed by Idaho-based fly fishing guide and fly tyer, Ken Burkholder specifically for the spring skwala stonefly hatches in the Pacific Northwest
- Skwala stonefly imitation in the 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
- Skwala stoneflies are available to trout during the early season (February – April) in stretches of trout water in Montana and Washington
- Hatches occur consistently and with long duration throughout the daylight hours
- Strikes on skwala 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 Burkholder's Bear Back Skwala
This large 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. Skwala stoneflies are active in
trout water throughout Montana and Washington and are available during
the early season months of February, March, and April. 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 skwala 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 an early
season emergence, an angler will easily spot large, darkly-colored
skwala 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 skwala stonefly hatch.
How to Fish Burkholder's Bear Back Skwala
Fish this fly in a variety of water types; a popular strategy is to
fish these patterns on a dead drift right through the main current –
drifting an emergent or adult skwala 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 skwala stonefly emergence and hatch. Skwala stones make
themselves available on trout water in Montana and Washington
throughout the day during the months of February, March, and April.
When they are active, 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!
Skwala Stonefly
Skwala stoneflies are large aquatic insects native to stretches of
water in Montana and Washington. The thickest populations of these
olive and olive brown or black stoneflies can be found in the
Bitterroot region of western Montana and throughout trout water in
Washington. The skwala is a crawling stonefly that can often be
mistaken for smaller specimens of the more common and widespread black
stonefly due to its similar physical appearance. Skwalas are active
throughout the day in their native range throughout the early season
months of February, March, and April. The heaviest and most productive
hatches of skwala stoneflies occurs during March when waters tend to
reach and surpass 50 degrees, the ideal hatching temperature for these
bugs. Adult males of the species can be easily identified by their
intriguing lack of wings, and female adults are easily seen darting
above the water’s surface, carefully depositing their eggs in the
surface film. Skwalas have become increasingly popular with die hard
early season fly fishers in Montana and Washington looking to cash in
on a classic mid-afternoon hatch of protein rich skwalas.
Skwala Stonefly Adult Life Stage
After migration to the foliage and rocks of the shoreline, skwala
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. Males of the species do not have
wings, and thus do not fly after mating. Many of these male adults will
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. Skwala 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
olive and brown coloration and boast darkly colored antennae and tails
as well as large darkly colored eyes. Look for skwala stonefly adults
during the early season months of February, March, and April.
About the Tyer: Ken Burkholder
Ken Burkholder is an extremely popular fly fishing guide who diligently
works the banks for the South Fork of the Snake River for large browns,
rainbows, and cutthroat trout. He is famous in fly fishing and tying
communities for his wildly successful Club Sandwich fly pattern, a
closed-cell foam grasshopper imitation that is available through Umpqua
Feather Merchants. Capatilizing on the success of his hopper imitation,
Burkholder has designed several other flies for Umpqua and continues to
guide clients to big fish in the Pacific Northwest.
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.”
