Leland Fly Fishing Outfitters

Hill's Designated Hitter Skwala Stonefly, Adult, 10

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In Major League Baseball’s American League, one player in each team’s line-up is paid millions to do one thing and do it well; the designated hitter is employed to put runs on the scoreboard. Similarly, in the sport of fly fishing, the Designated Hitter fly pattern is a stonefly imitation designed to catch big trout – and nothing else.

Professional fly fishing guide and accomplished fly designer and tyer, David Hill, constructed the “DH” Stonefly during the 1990s while guiding clients in the Missoula, Montana area, and this highly productive fly pattern is built to last, cast after cast.

The Designated Hitter Skwala is a fantastically attractive and durable imitation of an emergent or adult Skwala stonefly. It’s got rubber legs for the ultimate bug factor, a ragged dubbed body, closed cell foam butt, and a stiff deer hair wing for visibility and flotation. When it comes to effective stone fly imitations, this fly pattern’s got all the bases covered!

Specifications:

• This fly was developed for Umpqua Feather Merchants by well-traveled professional fly fishing guide David Hill
• The fly is constructed with a butt of closed cell fly tying foam, realistic wings, attractive rubber legs, and stiff deer hair for high floatation
• Skwala stonefly imitation in the emerger or adult life stage
• Use as either an impressionistic searching fly or as a realistic imitation when matching the hatch
• Drift the fly through different water types; faster riffles and shallower water near the banks of a river with moderate to slow currents are the most productive water types for this fly
• Skwala stoneflies are available to trout during the early season (February – April) in stretches of trout water in Montana and Washington
• Hatches occur consistently and with long duration throughout the daylight hours
• Strikes on skwala stoneflies are often far from subtle because trout must often be prepared to rip these strong clingers from their rocky homes
• When approaching a shallow water environment with a stonefly imitation, be extremely careful not to spook happily feeding trout
• SIZE 10

When and Where to Fish Hill’s Designated Hitter Skwala

This large sized adult stonefly can be fished as either an impressionistic fly pattern when searching for trout or as a realistic imitation when matching the hatch. Skwala stoneflies are active in trout water throughout Montana and Washington and are available during the early season months of February, March, and April. When searching, fish this fly in riffles, well defined current seams, areas below faster currents, and near exposed rocky structure and streamside vegetation. Shallow water near the river bank will also be productive when fishing a skwala stonefly hatch, so be sure to survey the scene thoroughly. These adults do not possess strong flying ability, however, and are often swept into the main current’s drift – look for these floating specimens in the main drift as well as shallower, less energetic water near sheltered areas. Prior to and during an early season emergence, an angler will easily spot large, darkly-colored skwala stonefly nymphs crawling from the rocky depths to the shallower water along the river bank and eventually to the surface of exposed rocks and vegetation to shed their shucks and hatch into winged adults – this is the sign to begin fishing the skwala stonefly hatch.

How to Fish Hill’s Designated Hitter Skwala

Fish this fly in a variety of water types; a popular strategy is to fish these patterns on a dead drift right through the main current – drifting an emergent or adult skwala stonefly through faster riffles, current seams, and the slower water just below these areas can yield excellent results. Stonefly nymphs emerge after crawling to the safety of the shoreline rather than shedding their nymphal shucks in the water’s surface film like mayflies. This pre- and during-emergence behavior renders shallower streamside water quite productive just prior to and during a skwala stonefly emergence and hatch. Skwala stones make themselves available on trout water in Montana and Washington throughout the day during the months of February, March, and April. When they are active, trout prey on them hungrily and voraciously, so don’t be surprised when you feel an aggressive take – set the hook confidently and with care if you happen to be fishing with lighter leaders and tippet material!

Skwala Stonefly

Skwala stoneflies are large aquatic insects native to stretches of water in Montana and Washington. The thickest populations of these olive and olive brown or black stoneflies can be found in the Bitterroot region of western Montana and throughout trout water in Washington. The skwala is a crawling stonefly that can often be mistaken for smaller specimens of the more common and widespread black stonefly due to its similar physical appearance. Skwalas are active throughout the day in their native range throughout the early season months of February, March, and April. The heaviest and most productive hatches of skwala stoneflies occurs during March when waters tend to reach and surpass 50 degrees, the ideal hatching temperature for these bugs. Adult males of the species can be easily identified by their intriguing lack of wings, and female adults are easily seen darting above the water’s surface, carefully depositing their eggs in the surface film. Skwalas have become increasingly popular with die hard early season fly fishers in Montana and Washington looking to cash in on a classic mid-afternoon hatch of protein rich skwalas.

Skwala Stonefly Emerger Life Stage

During its emerger life stage, these crawlers are most commonly found in the medium to fast water of riffles and higher energy current seams. Prior to and during a hatch, these large sized olive colored nymphs can also be found in low energy backwaters, eddys, and other shallow streamside environments. Skwala stonefly nymphs thrive among the cool, well-oxygenated water of rocky riffles and these nymphs are most vulnerable to trout when they are either swept up by strong currents or when they leave their rocky homes to hatch into winged adults from the safety of the shoreline. Their swimming ability is quite weak and these nymphs expose themselves by making adventurous crawling trips away from safety just before emergence and subsequent on-land hatching. Skwala stones are an important hatch on many rivers in Montana and Washington, and are especially prolific in the Bitterroot region of Montana.

Skwala Stonefly Adult Life Stage

After migration to the foliage and rocks of the shoreline, skwala stoneflies shed the remainder of their nymphal shucks and quickly find mates under the protective cover of streamside vegetation. The fertilized females will then fly clumsily above the water, quickly darting to the surface to deposit eggs, making themselves easy targets for aggressive surface-feeding trout. Males of the species do not have wings, and thus do not fly after mating. Many of these male adults will fall from the safety of streamside trees, weeds, and other vegetation. These unfortunate bugs wind up in swept along with the main current and will often collect in the slower water of eddys and along deeper cut banks. Skwala stoneflies in their adult stage are easily spotted as they are quite active during and after their streamside mating time. Adults of the species can be quite large and take on a distinctive olive and brown coloration and boast darkly colored antennae and tails as well as large darkly colored eyes. Look for skwala stonefly adults during the early season months of February, March, and April.

About the Tyer: David Hill

Captain David Hill is most well known for his Designated Hitter trout flies, a line of effective fly patterns he designed for Umpqua Feather Merchants. What most don’t know is that he actually spends over half of his fly fishing time on the saltwater flats near Oahu, Hawai’i looking for those silver bullets of the flats, the elusive and magical bonefish. Even though he more recently discovered his passion for saltwater fly fishing, David has strong roots in freshwater environments; he got his start in Ohio chasing big trout and steelhead. In 1996, he moved to Montana and began guiding professionally. Since then, David has built his business and has traveled and fished throughout the world with clients and on his own.

Leland on Umpqua

In 1972 a man named Dennis Black and his fly tying skills found themselves in high demand. Mr. Black, then a professional production fly tyer, was famous in the industry for his unsurpassed skill and speed with whipping up tremendously beautiful and precisely constructed flies. It wasn’t long until this young fly tying superstar realized that he ought to take his consistent approach to quality to the next level. Shortly after this realization, a small army of fly tyers had banded together to support Mr. Black’s vision. With the likes of Dave Whitlock, Jack Dennis, and Andy Puyans, Mr. Black was officially in business.

Dennis Black’s new company Umpqua Feather Merchants quickly extended its reach and fly production capabilities with expansion into India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, where the world’s first and full blown “fly tying factories” were built. Since those early days, only the highest standard of excellence has marked Umpqua and this commitment to quality and efficiency continues to spur the company forward. Dennis Black’s innovative vision for “fly production” has truly revolutionized how the fly industry operates and has ultimately made the majority of production flies better. From the first “royalty system” for rewarding the most creative professional fly tyers to streamlining production systems and offering a range of other products, Umpqua Feather Merchants just seems to “do it all.”

Today, Umpqua Feather Merchants is without a doubt the world’s best and most prolific supplier of hand tied fly fishing flies as well as fly tying hooks and materials, and they recently got better! Umpqua’s brand new, state of the art headquarters in Louisville, Colorado marks another paradigm shift in the way fly tying business is done. From its vast warehouse to its specially designed inventory management and tracking system, Umpqua is poised to continue its energetic trajectory and lead the way for the next generation of flies and fly tyers.

Umpqua on Umpqua

"As you may or may not know, we're the largest producer of quality hand-tied flies in the world. We also make available through your local fly shop a wide array of the finest fly-tying hackle and Tiemco hooks.

At Umpqua we offer everything the angler needs to a have a first class fishing experience. (Everything that is, but the water and the fish.)"

Umpqua on Dennis Black and the “Obvious Quest”

“The idea first took shape in the hands of our founder, Dennis Black, back in 1972. As a fast and facile professional fly tyer, Dennis was known for his skill and speed at producing hundreds of dozens of flies each year for the larger mail order houses. But he was also quick to realize how fast the demand for excellent flies would outstrip the abilities of cottage industry types like him.

The Obvious Quest: To create excellent flies in sufficient supply – without sinking his standards. In response, Dennis developed (with characteristic care) a methodical plan: First, he enlisted the tying expertise of the likes of Dave Whitlock, Jack Dennis, Andy Puyans and others, to help him set the standard of excellence for Umpqua flies.

Next, Dennis established the first of what would eventually be five separate fly-tying “factories,” first in India, then in Sri Lanka, and finally in Thailand. The primary focus at each of these factories was on producing the very best fishing flies possible, constructed of the very best materials available. From the beginning, the quantity of flies produced was secondary to the quality and excellence of each fly pattern. These high standards were assured by the personal involvement of the fly designers themselves, and by the ever-increasing skill, imagination and creativity of the Umpqua production fly tiers. Today, you will find no flies more skillfully tied than those available from Umpqua Feather Merchants.

Finally, Dennis created a system of royalty payments, to reward professional tyers like Whitlock, Lefty Kreh, Randall Kaufman, Larry Dahlberg, and Bob Popovics for uniquely good patterns.

The Result: Today, Umpqua produces umpteen thousand dozen flies, from micro-scopic midge imitations to the huge patterns favored by marlin and sailfish. And the "Umpquality" – you’ll see for yourself.”