Dry fly
Skwala
Pre-runoff olive stone
Trout · GraylingSurface
Olive-bodied early-spring western stonefly adult; a pre-runoff dry-fly window.
Fish this when
In the narrow pre-runoff window of early spring on western rivers, when Skwala stoneflies are the only substantial dry-fly food before snowmelt colours the water.
Why it works
Its olive body and modest size match a natural fish have learned to expect at exactly the time of year when almost nothing else hatches, so it gets eaten with little hesitation.
Naturals it imitates
adult Skwala stonefly
Typical zone & fishable range
usually
Surface
Film
Subsurface
Deep
Setup sensitivity: medium
Quick facts
Tying difficulty
Intermediate