Most anglers associate Alaska with large trout with flesh patterns, swinging leeches, and beads. There is a reason for it. Many anglers don’t realize that you can dry fly fish in Alaska and actually how effective it is. Fortunately for dry fly enthusiasts, there are several opportunities to catch some of the world’s most magnificent trout with dry flies and it’s extremely fun. It’s subjective to suggest one river is better than another. It’s Alaska, and fish always need to eat, therefore there are a lot of bugs and huge fish that will consume dry flies before the salmon lay their first eggs in every river we fish.
One super effective pattern for early trout in Alaska is a stimulator pattern. Today we have the Foam Stimulator, by Jim Slattery. This OD Stimulator is fun to tie and sports the classic look of a Stimulator. By incorporating foam, you give it a little more “floatation power” for its larger profile and act as an attractor. It also works well
Original Design By: Jim Slattery
Tie, Instructions, and Photos by Mike Brown of Mossy’s Fly Shop in Anchorage, Alaska.
Material List:
- Hook: Daiichi 1270 sz 18-4
- Tail: Natural Elk Hair
- Rib: BR Copper Wire
- Abdomen: 1/8” Brown Foam
- Body Hackle: Brown Rooster Hackle
- Wing: Natural Elk Hair
- Thorax Hackle: Grizzly Rooster Hackle
- Thorax: 1/8” Orange Foam
- Thread: Orange Veevus 8/0
Step 1. Start your thread appx 3 hook eyes back, wrap your thread back even with the hook point.
Step 2. Take a small clump of elk hair, appx 10-12 strands, and stack the tips. Place the hair on the top of the shank, making the tips extend just past the bend and tie down. Holding the hair on top of the shank and tying forward lightly, you want to tie it as lightly as possible, so you don’t crush the hollow hair. This will help with buoyancy. Wrap up to just short of your thread starting point.
Step 3. Tie in your copper wire.
Step 4. Using an exacto knife, cut appx 1/8” wide strip of your brown foam and tie in.
Step 5. Pulling the foam tight, wrap it forward (try not to overlap the wraps, this will keep the bulk down) to the end of the elk hair and tie off.
Step 6. Tie in your brown hackle and the end of the foam.
Step 7. Palmer the hackle back to the tail. Holding the tip of the hackle, counter palmer the copper wire over the hackle, this will hold and strengthen your hackle.
Step 8. Take a healthy clump of elk hair, a little smaller than a pencil width, and stack the tips. Tie in your wing, the tips should extend back to the middle of the tail. Holding the hair, tie down and trim off the butt ends. Make a few wraps of thread over the hair to make it secure.
Step 9. Tie in your grizzly hackle.
Step 10. Using the exacto knife, cut appx 1/16” or thinner strip of your orange foam. Tie in by your grizzly hackle.
Step 11. Pulling the foam tight, make a couple of turns forward and tie off.
Step 12. Palmer your grizzly hackle forward and tie off. Build a small head and whip finish. A dab of glue and you are done.
Flies to Tie for Alaska
Leave a Reply