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Taxon

What's your favorite insect hatch to fish?

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Okay, this forum has been dormant for too long. I’m not normally a thread starter, but I’m getting a little desperate.

 

What is your favorite insect hatch to fish, either on still or flowing water?

 

As I primarily fish still water, mine would have to be the Traveller Sedge,

Banksiola crotchi.

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Mine would have to be the Brown drake hatch. Just because the size of the fly is very easy to see, they bring large fish to the surface and they usually start just before dark so you still have some light to fish by which you dont have with the next hatch to come...the hex.

 

SD

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i actually have two...both in the oil heritage region of PA...the first being the olive cadis hatch and the second being the whitefly hatch that happens in late summer.

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QUOTE (steeldrifter @ Dec 27 2004, 12:34 PM)
Mine would have to be the Brown drake hatch. Just because the size of the fly is very easy to see, they bring large fish to the surface and they usually start just before dark so you still have some light to fish by which you dont have with the next hatch to come...the hex.

SD

steeldrifter-

 

Brown Drake. That would be either Ephemera simulans or Litobrancha recurvata, both of which are found in Michigan. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have at least one Ephemera species, but no Litobrancha species.

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QUOTE (jmmccutc @ Dec 27 2004, 01:20 PM)
i actually have two...both in the oil heritage region of PA...the first being the olive cadis hatch and the second being the whitefly hatch that happens in late summer.

jmmccutc-

 

Your Olive Caddis may be Macrosternum zebratum, as they are found in Pennsylvania. This is a netspinner of family Hydropsychidae. However, olive is a rather common body color for adult caddisflies, so your hatch may well be other genera.

 

White Fly is the common name for Ephoron album and E. leukon, and both of these pale burrower mayfly species of family Polymitarcyidae are found in Pennsylvania.

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QUOTE (daryn smith @ Dec 27 2004, 03:57 PM)
Caddis hatches all the way!

daryn-

 

You bet, they're hard beat.,

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QUOTE (mcfly @ Dec 27 2004, 06:01 PM)
Western PA Caddis Hatch so far has been the best for me.

mcfly-

 

Well, you seem to be in the majority. At least for the moment, the tally is:

 

2 for Mayfly hatches

4 for Caddisfly hatches

 

Incidentally, it appears that I've finally been promoted to Beginner. Yeah, I know, shameless!

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I would have to say that caddis hatches are my favorite, but I can't leave out the spring & fall baetis. Then again, it's a lot of fun chasing the salmonfly rumors around the west. Luckily, we can occasionally have 3 at once around here in the spring. I've been on the Henry's Fork when BWO's, the mother's day caddis (brachycentrus occidentalis?) and the earliest pteronarcys are all moving at the same time.

 

Fish early in the day with a big black stonefly nymph trailed by an olive WD40,

then later with a Sofa Pillow or South Fork Secret trailed by a sparkle caddis pupa.

 

Follow that with a Big Jud burger in Ashton, and you'll have a day to remember forever.

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QUOTE (nightfish @ Dec 28 2004, 04:35 AM)
I would have to say that caddis hatches are my favorite, but I can't leave out the spring & fall baetis. Then again, it's a lot of fun chasing the salmonfly rumors around the west. Luckily, we can occasionally have 3 at once around here in the spring. I've been on the Henry's Fork when BWO's, the mother's day caddis (brachycentrus occidentalis?) and the earliest pteronarcys are all moving at the same time.

Fish early in the day with a big black stonefly nymph trailed by an olive WD40,
then later with a Sofa Pillow or South Fork Secret trailed by a sparkle caddis pupa.

Follow that with a Big Jud burger in Ashton, and you'll have a day to remember forever.

nightfish-

 

Sounds like you have a lot of great hatches out there in Utah. Also, that Big Jud burger in Ashton sounds mighty tempting. Must confess mild surprise at the tally, which is now:

 

2 for Mayfly hatches

5 for Caddisfly hatches

 

So far we've heard from at least one flyfisher in the following states and provinces:

 

Washington (Taxon)

Michigan (steeldrifter)

Pennsylvania (jmmccutc and mcfly)

Nova Scotia (Daryn Smith)

Utah (nightfish)

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Just thought i would give a little info as to the caddis hatches here in mich. I do enjoy fishing hatches of caddis and I would say that anytime i start fishing during the afternoon or mid day hours There is always a good caddis hatch on the river i fish and I usually start out with a caddis pattern.

 

The reason i didnt say caddis is my favorite hatch is because the hatches on the river I fish (Au Sable) are so prolific and there is such a wide range of heavy hatches that the trout have becime spoiled and somewhat lazy. Even when there is a large caddis hatch in progress the larger fish seem to ignore them. My reasoning is that they are so spoiled that they dont want to exert the energy to chase a quick moving caddis when they know a slow easy target such as a mayfly will be available to them very quickly.

 

I do enjoy fishing the caddis hatches here though simply because they are such a reliable hatch and I do take lots of smaller 10-12" fish on them, but for larger fish around here at least, the mayflies seem to get more attention.

 

SD

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i have not been lucky enough yet to be on a river during a hatch. i guess that means i just have to go fishing alot more. usually during the summer im fishing for bass with regular tackle.

 

maybe i should make a trip to the Mad or Clear Fork (Ohio) or somewhere in PA this summer.

 

man i cant wait!

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QUOTE (swinks1966 @ Dec 28 2004, 12:48 PM)
i have not been lucky enough yet to be on a river during a hatch. i guess that means i just have to go fishing alot more. usually during the summer im fishing for bass with regular tackle.

maybe i should make a trip to the Mad or Clear Fork (Ohio) or somewhere in PA this summer.

man i cant wait!

Swinks1966-

 

Well, there are different kinds of hatches. Many of us don't often have the luxury of fishing the famous and prolific hatches about which you've probably read.

 

On the other hand, many hatches are nearly invisible, particularly if they involve a relatively small number of insects or extremely small insects. The next time you're fishing a stream, get one of those seine nets that fit over your regular net, or even a seine glove that fits over your hand, and spend a few minutes below a riffle letting the seine trap water on the surface and just below it. You might be surprised to discover what gets trapped in your seine. You might also want to take along a small white jar-lid and a magnifying glass so you can better see and identify smaller insects. After looking at them, it's a good idea to return them to the water unscathed, as some regional governments don't permit insect removal.

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I also like to fish the Stonefly hatches, Damsel and Dragons are cool, as you can see I'm realy not into Mayflies. I do like fishing Nymphs and Emergers and find they are very productive. My home water contains Browns, Rainbows, and Speckeled.

I prefer to fish for them with large Streamers as there are some huge Browns that are so fussy that a Dry Fly at most times might as well just stay in your fly box.

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