Richard Formato

Richard Formato is an avid catch-and-release fly-fisherman from Wytheville, Va. When not on the water, he operates a small business there. Formato loves to fly-fish in his native Southwest Virginia because of the great water and wonderful people. He also loves to fish the flats and shallows of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic whenever work and weather permit. He is on the Department of Conservation and Recreation's board of directors and is a trustee of the Shenandoah National Forest and Skyline Drive.

Recent columns

• What about Bob?
• Notes from the Charlotte Fly Show
• A chance meeting
• A wish for Jack

• Column archive
• Talk fly-fishing

As we round the corner of summer, this is a great time for terrestrials. There are so many beetles, ants and crickets that you don’t mind not seeing much of a hatch.

Heading back to the truck one evening this week, I could hear the crickets singing their sound of deep summer. The apples are on the trees, and there is a lot to of great fly-fishing left this year.

Even with these hot temps, this has been an excellent summer for trout fishing.

I have caught more wild fish this August than ever before, and I have been experimenting with a wider array of flies than ever before.

I think most fly-fisherman get in a grove in terms of their favorite flies.

Most of us fish certain streams out of habit because of access, numbers of fish, or the beauty of an area -- and most of us have a collection of favorite flies we use at certain times of the year.

Two weeks ago, I was hooked on a #10 Thompson’s Hopper, but like most flies, it stayed hot for a day or two, then the pattern changed.

Right now, what’s working is the stimulator.

Dry fly-fishing for many anglers equates to using a floating fly that will imitate as closely as possible the insects that the fish want to feed on.

Dry flies are mainly associated with caddis flies, mayflies, midges, stoneflies and terrestrials.

On the other side of the coin are those dry flies that are referred to as attractors and their purpose is to grab the attention of fish and convince them to strike.

Somewhere between these two types of flies are a group of flies that really don't fit into either category but are very effective for catching trout -- especially in the summer.

These flies that defy a “classical” classification are called stimulators.

The stimulator is an excellent imitator of stoneflies, grasshoppers -- and almost any large flying insect.

Tied a bit smaller, it also serves as a caddis fly.

Its primary use, however, is to imitate the adult stonefly.

Stoneflies emerge on land, and spend several weeks crawling around in bank-side vegetation looking for a mate.

As the day warms up, the adults become active, and in their “search for love” they are often blown or fall out of overhanging vegetation.

Once on the water, they either drown or are munched by trout.

So the best places to cast a stimulator are near the bank just downstream or downwind from overhanging vegetation.

The river should be 2-4 feet deep, and if it has a rocky bottom, the habitat is perfect.

Near dusk, female stoneflies often gather in hoards, then drop to the river to lay their eggs.

Stimulators float well in rough water, but on calmer drifts you'll do better if you trim the hackle on the underside so the fly will float a little lower.

Keeping a supply of stimulators in varied colors and sizes will have you prepared for different hatches as they may appear.

If insects are thin, then the stimulator can act as an edible attraction to bring fish to the top.

Being constructed with elk hair and plenty of hackle the stimulator dries quickly when wet.

The hair wing and tail make it easy to skitter this fly across the surface like a stonefly or caddis fly does as it deposits its eggs in the surface film.

Fishing with this technique can often bring aggressive strikes. Be ready.

Fishing the stimulator with an occasional twitch can imitate a grasshopper and just a dead drift can work as well.

Big and bushy, it is almost impossible to sink, especially when buffed with drying powder or floatant, but you have to keep it dry.

Stimulators are also easy to visually locate on the drift, which is key because it is effective when fished in the dark green pools that eddy near root systems and dark, shady areas.

Being a “high-vis” fly, they are awesome as an indicator fly, used with a dropper. This is another way or doubling your odds on the stream.

In a mountain stream this afternoon, there was absolutely nothing flying, however on almost on the first cast with a 3 weight Sage, I hooked a small rainbow that broadsided the stimulator.

It was only effective when fished upstream, and it was only effective when I moved upstream methodically. If I had a hit and a miss, it was not productive to keep pounding the same hole. I had to keep moving.

Summertime is such a great season for fly-fishing because it is so forgiving. There is wide array of available food for the trout, and a stimulator is a perfect pattern because it covers a lot of ground, giving the fish a fly because it mimics so many different insects.

And summertime is a great time to learn to fly fish for this reason: the chances are much greater for a beginner’s success when the fish are not as picky, the weather is delightfully warm, and the days are long.

As a result, the stimulator is a “must have” fly for your summer fly box.