A Fly Tyer's Guide to Enlightenment: Volume 33

by Paul Johnson

​One of my favorite all-time flies is the Lage Stop & Go Soft Hackle. This pattern was developed by one of the real treasures in our little corner of the fly fishing world, Randy Lage.

Several years ago, Randy was fishing some off-colored water on the South Branch of the Whitewater River. He was using a fly he called the Caution Fly. It was a soft hackle fly tied with a black body and gold wire. The fly was not working as well as he had hoped so off he went to his fly tying vise. Randy had just returned from a trip to Lake Taneycomo in Branson, so the materials for a local favorite fly from there, the Crackleback, were on top of his tying kit. So he pulled out a spool of green tinsel. Now what to add to it? Red wire, some dubbing and a partridge feather. Voila, the Stop & Go was born. Red and green, get it?

I was introduced to this pattern by Randy one evening at Laughing Trout. Never to leave well enough alone (a recurring theme in these columns), I had to make some changes. So I switched to red tying thread and changed the thorax to Suberbright Peacock Dubbing. I also like to coat the head with some UV resin. Now I have the Lage Stop & Go Soft Hackle.

I fish this fly from early spring to late fall. Randy designed the fly to be fished using the typical soft hackle technique of casting down and across the stream. I like to fish it as the bottom fly of a two rig system. You should tie some of these flies up and give them a try. It just might become one of your favorite flies as well.

Hook: Size 16 Scud Hook
Thread: 14/0 or 8/0 Red
Abdomen: Holographic Green Tinsel, size medium
Rib: Red Wire, size brassie
Thorax: Wapsi Superbright Peacock Dubbing
Wing: Hungarian Partridge