Tip: This is one of my favorite patterns for mountain streams, which are starting to come into their prime. Stoneflies are present in rivers year-round, but hatch in spring and summer. Golden stones hatch sporadically. Why is that important? Because fish don’t have thousands of them available at one time. They’re more of a meal of opportunity. These are great flies for cutthroat and wild rainbows. Trail them with a small pheasant tail or hare’s ear and you could probably use that combination and catch fish all summer long. If you see golden stones hatching, switch to a stimulator.