Flies from the “February Room” podcast-Episode 9-Jay Dixon and Traditional Hair-wing Patterns

Back in Jay’s February Room of the 1990s, there wasn’t any foam to be found, and he relied on traditional dry flies, like the age-old Stimulator.

In the latest installment of The February Room, Missoula guide Jay Dixon reflects on the good old days of trout fishing in Western Montana. Before the advent of the Chernobyl Ant and foam, flies were tied with hair, feathers, and floss. The Stimulator is one of our all-time favorite hairwing flies and still demands a slot in the fly box today. Invented by master tyer and designer Randall Kaufmann, the “Stimmy”, is a great all-around attractor, and especially effective when stoneflies are about.

Deer hair is used for the tail, then the body is wrapped with floss or antron. A furnace hackle is wrapped up the body and reinforced with wire. The deer hair wing is added, with enough space left to create the head of dubbing wrapped with grizzly hackle and wire. For a step-by-step tutorial , check out this video link.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmSGdeJwmLo