The Stewart

I love classic steelhead flies, and this one is no exception. Recently, Marty Sherman, a longtime steelhead pioneer, passed away, and it has made me a little nostalgic to tie some classic flies in honor of those who have gone before us. I met Marty Sherman about 25 years ago when I was working at the Welches Fly Shop. He was always a very nice and thoughtful guy. When I started steelhead fishing on the Deschutes River, the Max Canyon was one of my go-to flies. This fly is a variation of the Max Canyon tied by Marty Sherman, apparently he started calling it the Black Max but that name was already taken, so he named it after his good friend Doug Stewart the originator of the Max Canyon.

In the early 1970s, Doug Stewart developed the Max Canyon, a two-tone fly featuring a bright butt and a dark body. With the popularity of the Max Canyon, many tyers came up with their own variations. The Dark Max, Black Max, Blue Max, and The Stewart, to name a few. 

This version of Marty Sherman's Stewart was given to me by Randy Stetzer and is slightly different than the recipe you find in most books. The typical version you find has Pheasant Tippets for the tail. Randy sent me a couple of pictures of some that both he and Marty had tied, featuring two-tone hackle fibers for the tail, a combination of black and orange. 

Thread: Black 6/0 Danville
Tag: Small Gold Oval Tinsel
Tail: Black & Hot Orange Hackle Fibers
Rib: Medium Gold Oval Tinsel
Body: Black Wool Yarn
Hackle: Black Saddle Hackle
Wing: Black & Hot Orange Calf Tail