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I don't know the particular pattern you are tying but I know exactly what your problem is. I have tied many patterns that had me frustrated. The simplest of the Stonefly patterns of course is just chenille body and rubber legs/tail/antenna. Please excuse me if I post these pictures...just what I have tried: This first picture was the attempt at realistic:







I have tied a bunch in between, but this next pattern was introduced to me from a tier in Idaho (Gary Barnes). I have varied it for what I want as his was a different color and rubber legs.







It is really an easy tie. We have Golden stones here and the black in Idaho so I vary the color and of course the size. They are heavy, but I want them off the bottom.
Here is the recipe I use.

HOOK: Straight eye stream or at least 4x long #14 - #2
BEAD: Tungsten, color to match tie
TAIL: Goose Biot (color for tie)
ABDOMEN: Large colored wire (here it is yellow) and Colored Stretch tubing (here is Brown) wrapped side by side 1/2 way up hook
WING CASE: Pheasant Tail section pre treated with Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails
LEGS: Goose Biot. Tie first set in with wing case, second between first and eye of hook and third right behind bead plus tying down the wingcase
THORAX: Dubbing to match color

Now the wing is 8 to 15 barbles of a pheasant tail as I said treated. cut it by stem so you have a nice strip of pheasant tail. Tie it to the hook like you would with a Haresear.
Once you have added legs and dubbing, fold it over the thorax and tie it down but fold the excess back over thorax. Tie the fold down adding a little dubbing, then clip the fold over a littl shorter than the spot it starts.

FG