dry
Stimulator
Randall Kaufmann's Stimulator is a large, buoyant attractor dry fly that suggests adult stoneflies, caddis, and grasshoppers simultaneously. Its palmered hackle and elk hair wing provide incredible floatation, making it the ideal indicator fly in a dry-dropper rig. When big bugs are on the water, the Stimulator is the first fly out of the box.
Originated by Randall Kaufmann, Pacific Northwest
Recipe
- HookStimulator / streamer-dry hook (TMC 200R) · Tiemco
- ThreadOrange tying thread 8/0 or 70 denier · Semperfli
- TailElk hair
- BodyYellow or orange dubbing, palmered with brown hackle · Wapsi
- HackleBrown dry-fly hackle
- WingElk hair, natural
- HackleGrizzly dry-fly hackle
History
Randall Kaufmann developed the Stimulator in the Pacific Northwest, drawing on the Sofa Pillow and similar stonefly patterns. It quickly became the standard adult stonefly imitation west of the Mississippi. Its success lies in its buoyancy and ability to suggest multiple food forms at once.
Tying overview
Tie in an elk hair tail and wing, dub a two-tone body with palmered hackle, and add a robust thorax with additional hackle wraps.
Fishing tips
Fish the Stimulator as a dry-dropper indicator fly, suspending a nymph 18-24 inches below. It excels in pocket water and riffles during stonefly season. Dead drift it through heavy water, or skitter it to imitate an ovipositing stonefly.