Golden stone
Also called Golden stones, Golden stonefly, Golden stone hatch, Golden stone nymph
A “golden stone” is a common name for medium-to-large yellow to golden stoneflies, and the hatch anglers watch for when those adults are on the banks and fluttering on the surface.
- Group
- Stonefly & caddis hatches
- Category
- Entomology & forage
- Level
- Intermediate
- Water
- Freshwater
Last updated
What Golden stone means
On many Western trout rivers, “golden stone” refers to yellow to golden stoneflies in the family Perlidae, mainly Calineuria and Hesperoperla, and sometimes similar-looking large yellow stoneflies grouped under the same nickname.
Anglers use the term two ways, the natural insect and the imitation. You will hear it in hatch talk (“goldens are out”) and in fly talk (“golden stone dry” or “golden stone nymph”). Common imitations are buoyant dry flies like a Stimulator or Chubby Chernobyl in golden/yellow, plus stonefly nymph patterns in yellow-brown tones.
Golden stones are bigger than Yellow Sallies and usually smaller than salmonflies. They do not always hatch in the same intensity as salmonflies, but when adults are around, trout will key on them, especially along banks, seams, and softer edges.
Why it matters on the water
“Golden stone” is often a bank-focused bite. Adults are clumsy fliers and end up in the water near shore, so covering the first few feet off the bank can be more productive than working mid-river.
It is also a good time to fish a larger dry as a lead fly in a dry-dropper. Even when trout are not fully committing to the adult, a golden stone-sized dry can draw looks and help you track a subsurface nymph.
Read next
- Dry-dropperA two-fly rig where a dry fly is tied on top and a nymph hangs below it on a dropper. The dry fly serves as the visible fly and often as the strike indicator.
- SalmonflyA salmonfly is a very large stonefly, best known for its late-spring to early-summer adult hatch on many Western rivers and the oversized dry flies it inspires.
- StoneflyStoneflies are aquatic insects whose young live mostly in moving water and whose nymphs crawl out to emerge. They are an important trout food, especially where big species like salmonflies and golden stones are present.
- Yellow SallyA “Yellow Sally” is a small yellow stonefly, and the name anglers use for the hatch and the flies that imitate it.