The Versatility of Bryan Farmer
NJFTG March Newsletter Vol. I No. iii
At our last guild meeting, Bryan explained this pattern as "a little black stonefly," that also works as a Quill Gordon. I was intrigued. Bryan readily agreed to share the pattern and pictures. The combination of stonefly and early mayfly make this March’s fly of the month.
Bryan is generous with his stuff: materials, ideas, and flies themselves.
If you're interested and will listen, he is willing to share.
It looks like a stonefly or a Quill Gordon and Bryan calls it the Grizzly nymph. Versatile
Thread: Uni black 70D
Hook: #14 nymph
Tail: Wood Duck
Wings: Grizzly Hen or Rooster
Body: stripped peacock herl
Thorax: any "spiky" dubbing, spun and combed out
Start your thread on the hook and a Wood Duck tail.
Next, a stripped peacock herl makes the abdomen; use Bone Dry UV cure before adding the thorax.
Spun deer hair and dubbing - or any spiky, leggy dubbing - makes the thorax.
Finally, two grizzly hackle tips make the wing.
Bryan Farmer is one of the most creative and innovative tyers I know. He also catches a lot fish. He studies the bugs to create patterns fish can't resist and is infamous for using unique materials and creating the tools he needs to get the flies the way he wants them. For me, his process can be overwhelming; I never thought I'd need a power drill as part of the fly dressing process, but the results speak for themselves.
NJFTG February Newsletter Vol. I No. ii
Editor's Note: Working in any shop, the clerk has no idea who is in front of them. Working in a fly shop, you don't know who doesn't know a nymph from their elbow and who is a pro. Jeff D. is so humble and unassuming, it took me way too long to find out just how awesome his flies are. It is easy to learn how great Jeff is. I asked him to share his recipe for his Early Black Stonefly and he went further and wrote the whole newsletter for February. This is an awesome fly and just in time. We have to thaw out eventually and these flies will be ready to make their move. Thank you, Jeff! Visit his site and salivate. Jeff's flies are closer to art:
The Early Black Stonefly: Winter’s First Hatch - J. Deshefy Jr.
Although it occurs during the heart of winter, the early Black Stonefly is widely considered the first true aquatic insect hatch of the year in northeastern trout streams. While air temperatures remain cold and surface activity is minimal, trout are already feeding subsurface on these nymphs as they become increasingly active along the river bottom. For anglers willing to fish through winter and into early spring, few insects are more important.
Early black stoneflies belong primarily to the Capniidae and Taeniopterygidae families, insects uniquely adapted to cold, well-oxygenated water. Unlike many mayflies, which remain relatively dormant during winter, stonefly nymphs continue to develop slowly beneath the ice-cold flows. As water temperatures begin to stabilize in the upper 30s to low 40s (°F), nymphal movement increases noticeably, resulting in more frequent drift events and increased trout feeding activity.
This activity is most pronounced during the warmest part of the day. On typical winter days, that window usually falls between late morning and mid-afternoon, when sunlight slightly elevates water temperatures—sometimes by only a degree or two. Those marginal increases are often enough to trigger stonefly movement, especially in riffle transitions, inside seams, and along the softer edges of faster current. Trout respond by feeding tight to the bottom, conserving energy while targeting drifting nymphs.
From a biological standpoint, early black stonefly nymphs are defined by their slim, elongated bodies, dark coloration, and distinct segmentation. Strong legs allow them to cling to rock and gravel substrates, but when dislodged, they tumble naturally along the streambed. This behavior makes them highly vulnerable to trout and exceptionally effective to imitate with weighted nymph patterns.
During winter and early spring, food sources are limited, and trout rarely pass up an easy, protein-rich meal. The early Black Stonefly fills that role consistently. Patterns that emphasize a narrow profile, dark silhouette, subtle segmentation, and proper weight to maintain bottom contact closely match the natural insect and excel when other options fail.
For anglers fishing cold water, the early Black Stonefly is not a secondary or situational pattern—it is a foundational one. Carrying several variations of this nymph can mean the difference between a slow winter day and consistent success when conditions are at their most challenging
Step 1
Place a Dai-Riki size 18 (or hook of preference)securely in your tying vise.
Step 2
Start your thread Semperfli Nano Silk 30 Denier/18/0 in this case, one hook-eye length behind the eye. (If black thread is unavailable, white thread may be used and darkened with a black permanent marker.) Build a smooth thread base with touching wraps down the shank to the barb of the hook.
Step 3
Tie in two black goose biots at the rear of the hook, positioning them to extend approximately half the length of the hook shank. Secure firmly, then return the thread forward to the original tie in position just behind the hook eye.
Step 4
Tie in a short length of UTC Vinyl Rib, size Medium, in black. Secure the material and bind it down smoothly along the shank, stopping just short of the goose biots.
Step 5
Return the thread forward to just behind the hook eye, maintaining a clean, even thread base.
Step 6
Wrap the vinyl rib forward using firm pressure to slightly condense the material. As segmentation progresses, gradually ease the pressure to allow the rib to widen subtly. Make approximately 10–12 wrapsto form the segmented abdomen and secure the material with a few tight wraps.
Step 7
Trim any remaining vinyl rib tag ends. Tie in a strip of Wapsi 2mm Black Stone Scud Back where the Vinyl rib ended and bind it rearward along the top of the fly towards the bend of the hook and stop just short of the halfway point, reverse direction and bind the scud back forward again, stopping just behind the hook eye.
Step 8
Apply black dubbing to the thread, forming a thin, tightly dubbed noodle approximately one inch in length. Create a small, rounded head by wrapping the dubbing directly behind the hook eye. Pull the scud back material rearward and spin your bobbin counterclockwise to cord the thread, and secure the segment with three firm wraps to create the head of the fly.
Step 9
Take a few wraps behind the scud back material and create a slightly thicker dubbing noodle to create the thorax segment, giving it a subtly larger silhouette than the head. Pull the scud back over the thorax, counter-twist the thread counterclockwise, and secure firmly.
Repeat this process one final time with a very thin dubbing noodle to form the third and final segment. Once secured, finish the fly with a 4–5 turn whip finish.
Trim the scud back material by pulling it up gently and cutting it clean, leaving a small flat tab.
Final Step
Using a bodkin or dubbing needle, lightly tease out the dubbing along the underside and sides of the fly to create legs and movement. Adjust to taste
Hook Options-
Dad-Riki #270
Daiichi 1270, 1260, 1760
Tiemco 200R
Firehole 718
Saber #7015
For steelhead I lean to the Daiichi 1760 or Firehole 718
Dubbing-
I use a custom blend of Dave Whitlock’s SLF Pattern Blends in Dark Stone Nymph and a touch of brown dubbing
New Jersey Fly Tyers Guild Newsletter
January 2026
My first fishing flies were in a plastic disc I found in my grandfather's tackle box of conventional lures and hooks. I'd fished for trout with him for years, and never noticed the circular container. It may have been there for decades. Some of the flies were embedded into the melted plastic of the disc, but a few had remained intact; one of these was a bumble-bee. Armed with the disc and the rod and reel I found among discarded trolling rods and forgotten poles of various lengths I went off to find some fish for the first time with a fly rod.
Recently, my aunt mentioned some flies she found and wondered if they came over with her family on their voyage to Canada from Scotland. They may have come with her to New Jersey where she met my uncle in the sixties or seventies. Of course I was intrigued and wondered why this was the first mention of her Scottish ancestors also fishing with flies. My grandfather and uncle strictly used spinning gear and my uncle usually fished from boat by the time I was born. In fact, that one rod, reel, and disc of flies are all the fly tackle I have ever known or seen from my family.
Well, I won't keep you in suspense; I think my aunt was mistaken. The "Scottish flies" are a store bought collection of trout flies, perhaps the "dozen" variety next to the six available in the disc I wish I still had - sticky with plastic melted who-knows-how, but likely just direct exposure to the sun in the back of my grandfather's station wagon that reeked of pipe smoke. The flies were the equivalent of what is available at Walmart or other fishing stores with "some fly stuff."
This box is all size #10 hooks and includes one of the following: Royal Coachman, Blue Uplight, McGinty, Black Gnat, Yellow May, Red Ibis, White Miller, Mosquito, Ginger Quill, Brown Hackle Peacock, a Bee, and a Coachman. How that last one lost its nobility we'll never know as some of the flies are missing and few seem to be in the original place. I am not going to fish these and am going to preserve the box. They may not be a Salmon Fly in the Victorian Sense, but they are flies from a time and place in history - even though I can not verify when or where these actually came from. I'm glad to have them and know that someone my aunt knew and loved had them before me. I'll keep them as examples of what was available to blue collar anglers who got their flies, not from catalogues or family ghillies, but from dime stores and gas stations. They are all in fine, fishing condition.
Fly of the Month:
Simple Bugs - Small midge patterns, like the Zebra, Black Beauty,
Lenny's F. L. Recipe
Hook: curved, pupae, or straight in sizes #16 to #32
Thread: brown 6/0
Wire: Copper in SM
Thorax: peacock herl _______________________________________________________
Start the thread on the hook and add the wire with a gap behind the eye. Wrap back past the bend and begin a tapered thread body. Wrap to the gap and to the wire at the bend. Wrap to the gap and back 3/4. Wrap to the gap and to 1/2 back to the bend. Wrap to the gap and 1/4 back. Be sure you are leaving some space just behind the hook eye.
Wrap the wire stopping at the gap behind the eye.
Add one peacock herl and take several wraps filling the gap. Don't crowd the eye!
Whip it; whip it good.
For a Zebra midge: replace peacock herl with a bead. Try red, black, and other colors. Use gold, silver or colored wire, but the classics are red and black.
For a Black Beauty,: replace peacock herl with dubbing.
