Skwalas bring up the West's first big dry-fly eats of the year — olive-brown stoneflies on the water while the cottonwoods are still bare. A low-riding olive-brown body, dark elk wing, and rubber legs cover the hatch; fish it tight to the banks on March and April afternoons.
1. Thread base — Attach olive thread behind the eye and build a base to the bend.
2. Body hackle prep — Tie in a brown hackle by the tip at the bend.
3. Body — Dub a full olive-brown body from the bend to the 3/4 point.
4. Palmer — Wind the brown hackle forward in open spirals over the body. Tie off, then clip the hackle short on the bottom so the fly sits low.
5. Wing — Stack a bunch of dark elk hair. Tie in at the 3/4 point, tips reaching the bend. Trim butts.
6. Legs — Tie in one rubber leg along each side, angled back.
7. Head & hackle — Dub a short thorax, wind 2 turns of brown hackle through it, whip finish, and cement.
Seasons
Water conditions
hook
thread
body
hackle
wing
legs
Skwala spp.
