Every time I see, or fish with a Stimulator, vivid memories from several years ago bring a grin to my face. My assignment involved a multi-day guide trip with some folks from Evergreen, Colorado; and our fly-fishing excursion was going to encompass several different trout streams in Colorado, one of which was the Roaring Fork River near Aspen. The river was in prime condition for fishing "drys", however nymphing is usually the most effective tactic for consistently catching trout.
One of the two anglers I was guiding was named "Arnie", and just happened to be the father in law of a good buddy of mine. "Arnie" was a well-seasoned angler and didn't care much for nymph fishing, but loved to throw dry flies. I remember it well, "I don't want to do any of that bait fishing stuff" (nymphing with a strike indicator), "Arnie" said. Jeff Mahler, "Arnie's" fishing partner was standing knee deep in gin clear water nymphing a highly productive run while "Arnie" was working a side channel with a stimulator. It was the perfect scenario, both were catching trout and happy as a clam. "Arnie" hooked into another fat Roaring Fork rainbow, this time however the fish got the best of "Annie" on a powerful downstream run. The leader and fly parted. "Arnie" looked over at me, paused, then smiled, and said, "Do you have any more of those terminators?" "A what? I said. "You mean, a Stimulator?" "Yes, one of those terminator things" "Arnie" replied. Thank goodness, I had a box stuffed with Stimulators, all sizes and colors, and I quickly tied another one on. "Arnie was back is business and the fly continued to produce the rest of the day on the "Fork" as well as on the Blue two days later. For the remainder of the trip "Arnie" called the Stimulator a "terminator" and we laughed about it all the time. Today I refer to the Stimulator as the "terminator" partly because of my experience with "Arnie" and partly because it is such a deadly trout producer.
Master Fly-tier, Randall Kaufmann of Tigard Oregon, invented the Stimulator during the early 1980's. Kaufmann is a highly respected fly-tier, plus the owner of Kaufmann Stream Works. Kaufamann is also a contract tier for Umpqua Feather Merchants in Glide, Oregon, one of the country's leading fly distributors. The Stimulator is a very effective pattern because of its versatility. In a wide range of sizes and colors the Stimulator can effectively imitate caddis, hoppers, and stoneflies or simply be fished as an "attractor" in the riffles. This months choice, a #12 Yellow Stimulator was picked for the "Yellow Sally" Stoneflies that hatch during the month of July.
When fishing your #12 Yellow Stimulator one of many applications may be utilized. Begin by using a 9-foot tapered leader terminating in 5X. In certain situations additional tippet may be required (i.e. spooky or selective fish, slow moving or low water conditions etc). One effective method is the straight upstream approach. This technique works well because trout always face into the current (not necessarily always upstream). Sneaking up from behind the fish helps reduce your chances of "putting the fish down". Also this method increases your odds of a good "hook-up" because you're setting the fly back into the trout's jaw.
Another strategy is a downstream presentation. This is extremely effective because the first thing the fish see is the fly (not the leader or fly-line). When delivering the fly with a downstream attack the greatest challenge is setting the hook. The most common mistake is to react prematurely, setting the hook to early, resulting in pulling the fly out of the trout's mouth. Pause for an additional second and allow the trout to shut its mouth before setting the hook. In most cases this helps with a good "hook-up".
The most commonly accepted method is up and across. Cast the fly 45 degrees upstream and mend the fly line (the re-distribution of fly-line to coincide with drag) as the fly floats downstream. The fly should appear helpless in the current floating drag-free. With this technique larger areas of water can be covered presenting the fly to as many fish as possible.
During the heaviest part of a hatch pick out one "riser" and cast to that particular fish. Casting to non-specific fish will not produce the same results. Start with the closest fish and methodically work your way upstream towards the head of the riffle or run.
Many angler's also enjoy using the two-fly, dry fly nymph combo. To set up this rig, use an additional 18-24 inch piece of tippet material and drop it off the bend of the Stimulator with a small nymph tied on it. Use a micro shot to get the nymph deeper in the current. If the Stimulator moves or sinks set the hook and obviously if a trout eats the Stimulator set the hook as well.
Run-off is about over and the majority of the trout streams in the central Rocky Mountains are returning to normal flow regimen. The remainder of the season looks to be one of the most promising dry fly summers in years, partly because our mild winter and low snow pack as well as much warmer spring-time temperatures. On the flip side of things there seems to be some concern about having enough water come August. Hopefully Mother Nature and her water storage are adequate to support the trout throught the remainder of the summer months. Enjoy the benefits of great flows while you can. Now go rip some lip, I'm positive "Arnie" would approve.
