Stonefly Creeper
The Stonefly Creeper is a highly realistic flat-profiled stonefly nymph that imitates the clinging, crawling behavior of Plecoptera nymphs on the stream bottom. Its flattened body, splayed legs, and stubby tails closely match the silhouette of medium-sized stonefly nymphs that trout encounter in broken, oxygen-rich water. Dead-drift it on the bottom of fast riffles with heavy split shot or on a Euro rig. Works year-round wherever stoneflies are present.
- Type
- nymph (Stonefly)
- Hook sizes
- #8–14
- Target species
- trout
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Best seasons
- spring, summer, fall, winter
Materials
- hook: Nymph hook #8–14
- thread: Dark brown 6/0
- weight: Lead wire, flattened profile
- tail: Two brown goose biots
- body: Dark brown dubbing, flat profile
- ribbing: Brown wire
Tying steps
- Mount a size 8–14 nymph hook; wrap lead wire to create a flattened, weighted profile.
- Start dark brown thread; tie in two goose biot tails at the bend.
- Tie in brown wire ribbing.
- Dub a flat, wide brown body from bend to the 2/3 mark — the lead creates the flat shape.
- Counter-wrap wire rib in 5–6 tight spirals.
- Tie in a brown rubber leg on each side at the 1/3, 1/2, and 2/3 marks.
- Fold a turkey tail wing case over the thorax and tie down.
- Dub a darker thorax; fold the wing case forward; build a small head and whip finish.