Pat Barnes' Sofa Pillow improved with a palmered body hackle for extra flotation. One of the premier golden stonefly adult imitations in Western fly fishing — large, buoyant, and visible in heavy current.
1. Thread base — Attach orange thread behind the eye and build a base to the bend.
2. Tail — Stack a generous bunch of elk hair. Tie in at the bend, extending one hook-gap past the bend.
3. Body hackle prep — Tie in a brown hackle by the tip at the bend.
4. Body — Dub a full, chunky orange body from the bend to the 3/4 point.
5. Palmer hackle — Wind the brown hackle forward over the body in open spirals. Tie off and trim.
6. Wing — Stack a substantial bunch of elk hair. Tie in at the 3/4 point, angling back over the body at a low angle, tips extending to the hook bend.
7. Head — Build a substantial head to anchor the wing. Whip finish and apply head cement.
