March 3, 2021 Neil Sunday

Sink Hole Meadow Stonefly

It’s been a long, grey winter, but hope is on the way. In a few short weeks, we will see Early Black Stoneflies skittering across the surface of spring creeks here in the Cumberland Valley!

The Early Black Stoneflies usually begin the third week of February and continue until about the end of March.

(photo: Eric Naguski - Riseforms Fly Fishing)

The interesting thing on the limestone spring-fed creeks (so commonly found in the Cumberland Valley) is, we tend to dead drift flies with no drag. The same, finicky trout of the Letort that will snub a dry fly offering that isn’t perfect, will now attack a “skated or twitched” little black stonefly.

For those of us that love wintertime fishing, it represents the first actual hatch of the season and it can bring larger fish to the surface. It seems the dinner bell has rung for the wild trout that have been sipping midges and tiny blue-winged olives all season. It’s a chance to set the Euro Nymphing rods to the side, and do some dry fly fishing!

You can fish this pattern from a size 16 to 20, and I fish either a black CDC wing or a dun-colored CDC wing. If you would like to make the pattern more visible add a light-colored CDC feather or two on top of the original wing. That will make following this fly on the surface a little easier on the eyes!