NymphCDC Golden Stone
The CDC Golden Stone is a versatile and highly productive stonefly imitation. The use of CDC feathers gives the pattern a realistic buggy profile that fish can't resist. The golden color is a great attractor and matches many species of stoneflies.
Spring, Summer
Intermediate
Trout
Apr 2025
Overview
This modern golden stonefly nymph uses a slim, tapered dubbed body with natural tones like golden yellow or amber, ribbed with wire for segmentation. CDC is incorporated as a soft hackle or collar near the thorax, giving the fly added motion and a natural appearance in the water. Often finished with a tungsten bead for depth, it's a great blend of realism and fish-attracting movement.
Materials
Hook: TMC 5262 #8-16
Bead: Gold Tungsten, sized to hook
Weight: Lead Wire, sized to hook
Thread: Yellow 6/0 or 70 Denier
Tail: Dyed Yellow Pheasant Tail Barbs
Rib: 4X Mono
Flashback: Mirage Saltwater Flash
Abdomen: Golden Colored Nymph Dubbing (e.g., Golden Brown Harrop Nymph Dubbing)
Thorax: Same Dubbing as abdomen
Legs: Natural Brown CDC, wrapped as a collar
Collar: Grizzly Hen Saddle dyed Gold
Behavior & Presentation
Natural Behavior: Large stonefly nymphs crawl along bottom structure, their robust bodies creating disturbance as they navigate between rocks. Dislodged nymphs tumble awkwardly through current, unable to resist the flow effectively.
Where Trout Eat It: Fish target bottom lanes in riffles and runs where stonefly nymphs tumble during dislodgement, especially near cobble structure.
How to Fish It: Bounce the fly along the bottom using weighted rigs, allowing the CDC to provide subtle movement during the drift.
Best Water: Work riffle edges with cobble substrate, pockets behind boulders, and current breaks near banks where nymphs concentrate.
Strike Type: Feel a solid thump or see the indicator dive as fish attack the large nymph profile.
Fishing Strategy
Rigging Suggestions: This fly can be fished on its own or as part of a nymphing rig, with the CDC Golden Stone as the point fly and a smaller nymph as the dropper.
Seasonal Timing: Most productive during optimal water temperature windows and peak insect activity periods.
Pro Tips: The CDC Golden Stone has a realistic profile and the golden color makes it highly visible in the water. The fly sinks, imitating a naturally drifting or swimming stonefly nymph.
Entomology
Golden stonefly nymphs crawl actively across stream bottoms, clinging to cobble and boulder substrates in well-oxygenated riffles and runs, occasionally tumbling into the drift when disturbed. Their large size and year-round presence make them prime targets for aggressive feeding, as a single nymph provides substantial calories. Fish patrol the bottom structure where these nymphs live, opportunistically striking when current dislodges them during behavioral drift or migration toward shore for emergence.
- Order
- Plecoptera
- Common Name
- Stonefly
- Organism Type
- insect
- Life Stage
- general