Early Brown Stonefly Hatch
Strophopteryx fasciata
Early Brown Stonefly hatch is one of the earliest
hatches where you might get a chance to fish for rising trout on a freestone
stream in NorthWest Wisconsin. The hatch occurs from mid-March into
mid-April depending on the temperatures, Winter snow amounts and the
stream location. Before
the Wisconsin DNR started the early season catch & release we never got
a chance to experience this wonderful early season stonefly hatch.
The small little stonefly adults hatch sporatically during the daylight.
Especially in midday and early afternoon, but it depends on the seasonal weather.
The adults seem to struggle at getting off the water and that gets the trout's
attention. The stoneflies come back on the water to lay their eggs and flutter and skate across the surface. You will find them in the riffled waters of the freestone northern
streams. (I have not successfully caught the stonefly nymph, but I have collected many
adults.)
For my preferred fly dressing I use a size #12 Mustad 94840 dry
fly hook,
with
a very brown coastal deer hair wing, and two black dry fly hackles or
dark brown and black. I actually have found the Hebert Miner Black hen capes
to be perfect for this
pattern and the hen capes are very cheap to buy. At times,
I clip the hackle on the bottom of the fly to make the imitation flush on the surface, or switch to a parachute pattern, When the trout are taking the fluttering stoneflies skating across the surface I like a simulator type pattern with a hackle palmered body..
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