• WI Fly Fishing Home
• About WI Fly Fisherman
• WI Mayfly Hatch Chart
• Mayfly Hatches
  • Blue Wing Olives Hatch
  • Hendrickson Hatch
  • March Brown Hatch
  • Light Cahill Hatch
  • Hexagenia limbata Hatch
  • Brown Drake Hatch
  • Sulphur Mayfly Hatch
  • Mahogany Dun Hatch
  • Ephoron leukon Hatch
• Caddisflies
• Early Brown Stonefly
• Fly Tying
  • Tying Small Mayfly Nymphs
  • Brown Drake patterns
  • Hendrickson pattern
  • Hex Dry Fly pattern
  • Hares Ear Nymph
  • Winged Wet Flies
• WI Fly Fishing Shops
• WI Fly Fishing Guides
• WI Fly Fishing Forums
• Fly Fishing Links
• Fly Tying Materials
• Contact WiFlyFisher
• Wisconsin Loon Call
• Release the Trout
• Find us on Google+

Early Brown Stonefly Hatch
Strophopteryx fasciata

Early Brown Stonefly hatch is one of the earliest hatches where you might get a chance to fish for rising trout on a freestone stream in NorthWest Wisconsin. The hatch occurs from mid-March into mid-April depending on the temperatures, Winter snow amounts and the stream location. Before the Wisconsin DNR started the early season catch & release we never got a chance to experience this wonderful early season stonefly hatch.

The small stonefly nymphs crawl out of the water along the shoreline to shuck its nmphal case during the daylight usually during the warmest part of the day. Especially in midday and early afternoon, but it depends on the seasonal weather. The stoneflies come back on the water to lay their eggs (ovipost) and flutter and skate across the surface. This makes for a great opportunity for some early season dry fly action to rising trout.

The early brown stonefly measures 5/8" long from head to the end of it's grayish-brown wings. The blackish body is only about 3/8" long.

Early Brown Stonefly Patterns

When the stoneflies are not fluttering on the water I use a small stonefly nymph pattern (see below) along with a strike indicator. My preferred pattern when the stoneflies are on the water oviposting is a size #14 Mustad 94840 dry fly hook, with a CDC body, a teal flank feather for the wing (tied flat) and sparsely tied grizzly hackle. When the stoneflies are fluttering on the water and getting the trout's attention I prefer a palmered hackle dryfly with a light grayish deerhair wing and well hackled in the front as well.