The first fly I would like to share – is good old Stimulator. It’s a well know fly pattern and there’s no magic to it. It’s super popular in the US probably because of how well it imitates a larger stonefly. I guess in Australia this fly would be a better representation of a grasshopper, and most trout rivers banks are full of them. The colour spectrum of those things is incredible – varying from crazy tones of red to bright yellow.
I had a great success using this fly not only as a dry fly but fishing the so called dry-hopper method. This way you can cover fast runs using Stimulator superb floating characteristics instead of using indicator, and also having a chance in case fish decides to take something off the surface. It is also handy when you move up from the fast stretch of water to a slower pool. You don’t wanna be splashing too much and spooking fish, which of course you would do with an heavy indicator and bead head nymph rig. In this case you’re better of using Stimulator as some sort of insect representation and change the bead head nymph you were using in faster water to an unweighted nymph under the Stimulator. Much quicker and very effective.
Here’s a Youtube link to a the same colour pattern Stimulator fly that was successful for me in a Blue Mountains and Snowy Mountains. Happy watching.