I was fortunate to know both Bill Coffey and Lee Wulff in Montreal, QC ... as tiers both men, featured "stoneflies" as part of their repertoires for atlantic salmon ... which patterns predate the other is unknown... the Coffey series, I reviewed for the Stewart book on "Atlantic Salmon Flies" ... Lee formed the buctail wing and para-hackle over a PVC post as part of injection molded body ... wings varied : white or brown / badger hackled ... Bill's patterns : were formed using a brass pin bent as a "poppy" post, with wings of white, brown green or black ... the blackstone featured a grizzle hackle; badger otherwise ... today these remain effective on many salmon rivers ... introducing these on the margaree some years ago ... also proved successful. Royal Wulff has today replaced the original molds for black salmon hooks ... Lee always used a bronze hook ... the secret of the badger hackle is visibility on the water ...
a western pattern : the "Telkwa Stonefly" is tied using moose thruout, and is tagged and ribbed with orange flourescent floss ... all stoneflies should be fished dragfree ... the coffee stonefly series, however, are also effective wetflies tied on doubles ....
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Mack, you don't know me but I'm glad to find you online. I have one of your parachute stoneflies and an Excel that were given to me by a gentleman who said you tied them for him when you were still in Montreal and he was fishing the Whale River in Northern Quebec. I also have an intriguing Hairy Mary with a little ball of clipped deer-hair on the head that he says you tied to enhance the effect of the riffling hitch that they like to use on the Whale. Borrowing from that, as well as the Green Butt, Whale River Rat and George patterns in Stewart's book, I tied a concoction I called the "Standora" after Stan and Dora Karbowski, the owners of the Whale fishing camp. Here it is: Tag, silver tinsel; Tip, fluorescent green floss; Tail, 5 or 6 peacock sword fibers; Rib, oval silver tinsel; Body, peacock herl; Wing, black bear or black squirrel tail, over 10-20 strands of “baitfish” (dark multicolor) Angel Hair or similar fine flash material, over grey squirrel tail; Hackle, dark grizzly, wrapped as a collar; Head, dark gray deer hair with mottled tips, spun and trimmed Muddler-style to leave a sleek head and a fairly dense collar.
It was a killer up there. Thanks for the inspiration!
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