{
  "url": "https://theflybench.com/patterns/cdc-golden-stone",
  "id": "cm8v25j090089usxb1thg1dv0",
  "title": "CDC Golden Stone",
  "slug": "cdc-golden-stone",
  "description": "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.",
  "imitates": "Stoneflies",
  "patternCategory": "nymph",
  "difficulty": "Intermediate",
  "targetSpecies": "Trout",
  "waterTypes": [
    "Stillwater",
    "Moving Water"
  ],
  "seasons": [
    "Spring",
    "Summer"
  ],
  "materials": "**Hook**: TMC 5262 #8-16\n**Bead**: Gold Tungsten, sized to hook\n**Weight**: Lead Wire, sized to hook\n**Thread**: Yellow 6/0 or 70 Denier\n**Tail**: Dyed Yellow Pheasant Tail Barbs\n**Rib**: 4X Mono\n**Flashback**: Mirage Saltwater Flash\n**Abdomen**: Golden Colored Nymph Dubbing (e.g., Golden Brown Harrop Nymph Dubbing)\n**Thorax**: Same Dubbing as abdomen\n**Legs**: Natural Brown CDC, wrapped as a collar\n**Collar**: Grizzly Hen Saddle dyed Gold",
  "images": [
    {
      "url": "/images/patterns/nymph/cdc-golden-stone.webp",
      "source": "The Fly Bench"
    }
  ],
  "videos": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j0vn-DJoRs",
      "label": "Charlies Fly Box"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2nlcoTkVMM",
      "label": "Hammer Creek Fly Fishing"
    }
  ],
  "createdAt": "2025-03-29T22:20:16.302Z",
  "updatedAt": "2025-04-05T23:17:18.614Z",
  "variantOf": "",
  "regions": [
    "Rocky Mountain",
    "Pacific Northwest"
  ],
  "waters": [],
  "tags": [
    "dead-drift",
    "indicator-nymph",
    "stonefly-hatch",
    "modern",
    "attractor",
    "searching-pattern",
    "swing"
  ],
  "essential": false,
  "tier": "",
  "entomology": {
    "order": "Plecoptera",
    "family": "",
    "commonName": "Stonefly",
    "organismType": "insect",
    "lifeStage": "general",
    "behavior": "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."
  },
  "relatedPatterns": [
    {
      "slug": "hare-s-ear-stonefly",
      "type": "same-hatch"
    },
    {
      "slug": "anderson-s-uv-sally",
      "type": "same-hatch"
    },
    {
      "slug": "bugmeister",
      "type": "same-hatch"
    },
    {
      "slug": "chubby-chernobyl",
      "type": "same-hatch"
    },
    {
      "slug": "possie-bugger",
      "type": "same-hatch"
    },
    {
      "slug": "two-bit-sally",
      "type": "same-hatch"
    },
    {
      "slug": "20-incher",
      "type": "alternative"
    },
    {
      "slug": "jumbo-jon",
      "type": "alternative"
    }
  ],
  "behaviorPresentation": "**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.\n**Where Trout Eat It**: Fish target bottom lanes in riffles and runs where stonefly nymphs tumble during dislodgement, especially near cobble structure.\n**How to Fish It**: Bounce the fly along the bottom using weighted rigs, allowing the CDC to provide subtle movement during the drift.\n**Best Water**: Work riffle edges with cobble substrate, pockets behind boulders, and current breaks near banks where nymphs concentrate.\n**Strike Type**: Feel a solid thump or see the indicator dive as fish attack the large nymph profile.",
  "fishingStrategy": "**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.\n**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.",
  "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."
}