PT Stone
By Jason Akl
Some of the most enjoyable hatches to fish throughout the long summer months would have to be those of the insect order Plecoptera (stoneflies). When the time is right for the bugs to emerge, there is no need for a magnifying glass to try and identify what is hatching; these bugs are big and ugly. Out of the nine families of Stoneflies that occur in North America, one species sparks a particular interest with fly fisherman; the huge Pteronarcys stones (Pteronarcidae, pteronarcys, dorsata).
These stones are very elusive to the untrained fly fisher because of a spread out hatch date (late April to May) and sparse numbers of insects during the actual hatch. The intriguing quality about these special stones is their enormous size. These Pteronarcys stones can range anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 inches in length (emerged adult). You can just image what a fish would do to get a good sized meal like that, and with this fly you are about to find out. The PT stone pattern is a fly that imitates this genus of super-sized stones, in their adult stage. The body of the fly is tied with deer hair to help keep the fly riding high on the water surface imitating an egg laying female or an unluckily individual which has become water logged. The Pteronarcys stones start their hatch around 5:00 – 6:00 PM so fishing this pattern at dusk and well into darkness is a must. The dark colored body and tapering shape will provide a great silhouette under the moon light and give you the best chance possible to land a trophy fish.
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