micro bugs

[tightlines 0]

So the last day out on the river was a bad trip. Usually Im the one bringing in the fish but today there was a guy 20 yards away from me nailing a fish every few casts. I threw on every emerger that was hatching on the river at the time and nothing. I also used drys on the top and drowned and I the water was so clear that I could see many refusuals but nothing took the fly.

 

I asked the guy down the river as I left how small a fly he was using and he said really small. I know that the fishermans curse were a major hatch on the river, but never thought fish would really go for a size 26 nymph. It seems like a waste of energy for the little calorie intake the fish get from the food.

 

None the less it was either trico nymphs or caneis (sp??).

 

What are others thoughts on micro nymphs and flys, aparently they are important this time of year

 

micro caddis, bwo, fishermans curse and tricos are fairly small bugs so it probably explains why my size 16 nymphs and size 18 dry flys were not producing any bites.

[Alex C. 0]

I haven't fished it. But I'm friends with a guy that lives for the trico action here. Fishing stuff that small really isn't my thing, I like throwing stuff that splashes when it hits the water. But I think it would be pretty rewarding to fool a fish with something under a 24.

[Sturgeon_Catcher 0]

Reading Lafontaine's book on caddis. Pretty big food source as these bugs rise toward the surface. Really big food source as a matter of fact.

 

Used very small attractor nynphs in Tennessee. Tiny hook 20 or so.

 

Watched DavidM catch a 19" land locked salmon back of the dorsal fin - took his entire fly line helped him land it far down stream. Head pointed downstream.

 

Point being they do work and work well. The problem that I have found is determining a strike and refusal. These fish are so fast - in and out. The other fishermen were using great big indicators - to no avail.

 

Tiny flies can equal big fish and lots of them. DavidM caught at least 6 while I watched. One jumped all the way around him then took off down river. I have it partially on video in my little camera. Haven't a clue how to download it or would share it.

 

later

Fred

[sandflyx 0]

On the little lehigh in pa. we use 24 to 32's for most fishing..

[siestafred 0]

These days on the Grand the biggest fly you want to use is #20. Try an EHC or a tan or gray midge pattern. From there you can work your way down to 32's, although personally I've never gotten below 28's.

Other things you need to keep in mind are minimum 12-15' leader tapered to 7X, and degrease your leader so it sinks and doesn't float up top and look like a piece of rope to the trout.

I don't think the Tricos have started yet (???), but the Caenis have and midges as well. Check cobwebs in the trees/bushes to see if you can find a few bugs. I know I sure can't see them on the water !!

"Dog days" of summer !

 

Fred

[madkasel 0]

How dumb are these fish, anyway?

 

Drift a size 24 trico and WHAMO! Fish.

 

Drift a big old grasshopper or beetle or ant and nothing.

 

It'd be like me going to a buffet and just nibbling on oyster crackers and croutons, totally ignoring the slabs of roast beef and chicken legs.

 

Too weird.

[tightlines 0]

I know trout will focus on something and then feed on it, so if there are lots of cranefly larva emerging then they key in on them and eat.

 

I would imagine larger fish dont expell the energy to rise for small insects, but they typically sit on the bottom feeding on other fish, crustaceons or nymphs that are drifting over their noses.

 

 

[tightlines 0]

can anyone recomend a book about techniques envolved with fishing midges and tiny flies??

 

Lots out there, but hoping someone has a recomendation for me.

 

Chris

[bart 0]

How dumb are these fish, anyway?

 

Drift a size 24 trico and WHAMO! Fish.

 

Drift a big old grasshopper or beetle or ant and nothing.

 

It'd be like me going to a buffet and just nibbling on oyster crackers and croutons, totally ignoring the slabs of roast beef and chicken legs.

 

Too weird.

 

This has happened to me many times and made scratch my head even more. The last time this happened was about a year ago while fishing the blue river. There was a late season green drake hatch coming off and the bugs were huge, size 8! So I tied one on and fished away. After an hour denials I had had it. So I went back to my usual midge patterns for this river (26's and 28's adults and pupaes) and scored 8 fish before I left. So what was the deal? Why were the cuthroats not keying in on such a protein rich food source that was readily abundant? Well there's more then one answer, but here's what I came up with. I think that the midges were even more abundant then the green drakes and more readily available. A little research on google tells me that midge larvae densities are typically 4000 per square on the bottom nutrient rich bodies of water. Now that's a lot of bugs! Additionally, after a whole season of eating the drakes, and being caught on them, I think the fish may of just turned off of the big flies. It also turns out that midges make up a significant portion of the menu for trout on many streams/rivers throughout the year.

 

If trout are not responding to my adult when there are plenty on the surface the first thing I do is stop casting and watch the river. Are there any risers in feeding lanes? If the answers yes I either change flies or change presentations. If the answer is no, I tie on an emerger of the adult and go at it. This often times works. The emergers get stacked up under the surface film and the trout just gorge on them there and ignore the adults on the surface until later when most of the emergers are gone.

 

[bart 0]

can anyone recomend a book about techniques envolved with fishing midges and tiny flies??

 

Lots out there, but hoping someone has a recomendation for me.

 

Chris

 

Here's a great book on midges titled Midge Magic.

[bart 0]

I would imagine larger fish dont expell the energy to rise for small insects, but they typically sit on the bottom feeding on other fish, crustaceons or nymphs that are drifting over their noses.

 

This true much of the time, however there are many exceptions. Take for instance the Green River during the spring BWO hatch. After a winter of dining on mostly midges the big brown's (all 20 + inch fish) just go nuts for a size 20 ro 22 BWO. When the hatch comes off they line up in the feeding lanes for these little mayflies like kids in a candy store. Another example is this tazmainian rainbow I was lucky enough to catch on the Frying Pan on a size 22 dry.

 

My point is even big fish eat little bugs, though it's probably not their staple food source, so don't be afraid to go after the big guys with little flies.

[Blackotter 0]

This weekend I was fishing the Bighorn and sampled the throat of two fish. Despite a good baetis hatch followed by a good PMD hatch, both fish had only sowbugs in their belly and the largest would have been a 22. There are considerably larger scuds and sowbugs in the river, yet they were only taking the tiny ones....and no mayfies...at least these two anyway.

[Luke 0]

I'll suggest Fishing Small Flies by Ed Engle.