Winter Stonefly Patterns

Winter stoneflies are a diverse group that includes three families of Stoneflies (Plecoptera): Capniidae, Nemouridae, and Taeniopterygidae. These three families are part of what Rich Hafele and Dave Hughes referred to as the small brown stone complex (Hafele & Hughes, 1981); a group that, in general, are similar in appearance and can be imitated with small variations on a handful of fly patterns.

Winter stoneflies as you may have guessed tend to emerge in the early spring or late fall. Streams that have open water year round may even see some hatch activity in January or February (weather permitting). Below are three standard patterns that I use for most winter stonefly hatches. Because these groups emerge by crawling out on the bank, the nymphs tend to be the most effective fly during the hatch. The adults can become important at times when the females return to the stream to lay eggs, or on windy days when these clumsy fliers get blown onto the water. I fish these patterns in size 16 and 18 for most hatches but will go to a size 14 for some of the larger groups.

Winter Stonefly Nymph

Winter Stonefly Adult (poly-wing)



Winter Stonefly Adult (CDC-wing)

Hafele, R. and Hughs, D. 1981. The Complete Book of Western Hatches. Frank Amato Publications, Portland, Oregon.