What flies should you tie this winter? These 3 dries work all across Canada—and beyond

STIMULATOR

Unlike the naturalism or engineering of both the Klinkhåmer and CDC & Ek, the Stimulator is all about “more is more”—it’s unapologetically big, unruly and visible. With a bushy deer-hair wing and long, heavily hackled body, it’s built to ride high in rough water. For more than 30 years, it’s been a must-have for Western hatches of large stoneflies.

While you rarely see anglers fishing Stimulators east of Alberta, it excels anywhere with swift currents or pocket water. It can pass for a stonefly, caddis or grasshopper, and its beachball buoyancy makes it a great indicator fly on a dry-dropper rig. With six materials, the Stimulator isn’t a quick tie, but it’s also durable, so your time is well spent.

Anglers who will happily fish generic subsurface flies often stress about matching the hatch with dries, but these patterns let you fish instead of fret. The Stimulator, like the CDC & Elk and Klinkhåmer, just plain looks buggy. Tie a few this winter, and you’ll have a core of dry flies that travels well, and fishes confidently wherever the coming season takes you.