Trout Bum Flies
Amphipoda Caddis Caecidotea Diptera, midges
Scuds Henryville Special Al's Rat
Shrimp Griffiths Gnat
Amphipoda
Amphipoda isopoda, commonly known as scuds are found swimming and crawling in pools and flats.
An important participant in behavioral drift these active, agile swimmers dart around bottom for food in water never over three feet deep. They feed most actively at night and on overcast days. The best hours to fish with them are dusk thru dawn. For more informatiion click here.
CADDIS
MIDGE PATTERNS
Al's Rat
I use Henryville Specials as substitutes for Caddis not represented in my fly box. I tie them down to size #24.
Dr. Ernest Schwiebert told me the most important thing about the presence of midge adults is there are pupa in the film. I believe the fish take the Rat for a midge pupa.
Click here to read all about Al's Rat.
Griffiths Gnat
The Griffiths Gnat is the brain child.of George A Griffiths.
Mr Griffiths tied the fly with a peacock body palmered with grizzly hackle.
Griffiths introduced the fly to Dr Ernestt Schwiebert who popularized the fly in his classic book “Nympha.”
Schweirbert told me he thought the Trout took the Gnat for a cluster of resting or mating diptera on the surface film.
Anytime I can incorporate peacock into a Spring Creek pattern I do, so I sick with the peacock body. I tie it in sizes 18 to 28.
Mr Griffiths pattern is my “go to” pattern when adult diptera are on the water.
MAYFLIES
The Versitle Adams
The Adams is the best selling fly in the world, there is a reason.
If confronted with a Mayfly you can't duplicate substitute an Adams of the correct size. Trim the hackle to match the stage of the flies life cycle.
Baetis imitations
A properly dressed Baetis emerger with no weight will usually out fish a dry fly. Try shallow riffles and weed beds.
The regulars at my fly shop found the emerger pattern to be deadly.
The natural has two tails as an adult.
We tie it on a #18 94840 hook.
Start the olive thread at beginning of hook point, wrap to the eye. Wind the thread backward to the bend leaving 2 hook eye lengths of bare shaft behind the eye. (We don't allow the body creep onto the bare hook.) Over wrap toward the bend of the hook. Stop wrapping 1 thread width from the bend.
Tie in a hackle clump tail. The 1st turn of thread holding the hackle clump tail (Light Blue Dun Hackle Barbs) goes directly over the last turn on the hook. Using the finger snap/pinch technique to mount the tails, with thread tension near the breaking point. Thread torque slides material to top of hook shank.
Tie in. (The tail should be as long as the length of the hook.)
The body is dubbed with olive angora rabbit) to form a carrot shaped body.
Stop the body when you reach the bare hook. Wrap thread forward one hook eye length, Tie in a size 14 Blue dun hackle. Wind 5 or 6 winds of hackle and tie off. Figure 8 with dubbed thread drawing the hackle barbs to the top of the fly forming a hackle barb wing. Tie off.
Pheasant Tail
If confronted with a nymph you can’t match, select a Pheasant Tail Nymph of the correct size.
Pheasant Tails are a fine impostor for many Mayflies and they also work for selective and opportunistic feeders.
They’re a dynamite pattern.
My fly box is populated with sizes 14 through 24.
Hexagenia are burrower mayflies that create u-shaped tunnels where they reside. This shape allows them to draw in water to feed upon microscopic organisms
Duns emerge in late August through early September sporadically throughout the day increasing in late afternoon and early evening.
Spinners fall in the evening
Tricorothdes stigiarus, Al's Trico
Sulphur Patterns
The late Joe Kohler introduced us to a nymph pattern which is a killer. Olive thread , a few wisps of Lemon Wood Duck for the tail. He dubs a cigar shaped body with dark brown angora rabbit . Deadly.
During this hatch trout are extra selective to silhouette, size and color. Size difference is considerable. Are Trout taking dorothea (18) or the larger invaria or rotunda? Are they taking duns or spinners?
Use size #16, if you get refusals go to #18. If the dun imitation is pale yellow and about #16, species doesn't matter to you.
Sculpin
Sculpins occur in many types of habitat, Sculpins are benthic fish, dwelling on the bottoms of water bodies. Their pectoral fins are specialized for gripping the substrate. This adaptation helps the fish anchor in fast-flowing water.
CRANEFLIES
Craneflies begin showing up on spring creeks around February 15th. As the season becomes warmer, their intensity increases, with the greatest intensity in midsummer.
Look for swarms resting on partially submerged deadfall.
Click here for more information on Craneflies.
Oligochata
Don’s Honeybug Inchworm exhibits a number of desirable attributes.
It looks the same from all sides, is easy to tie and has soft “chewy” texture.
The texture of this material makes the pattern superior to regular chenille
Eggs and Spawn
1. If you've ever eaten "Mullet", you've had Sucker on your plate! That's the commercial name used when Sucker is sold.
2. Suckers will eat almost anything, most commonly small invertebrates, algae and plant matter.
3. Predators prey on Suckers.
4. Spawning occurs in shallow water in April and May; initiated by temperature changes.
5. When spawning the males develop a distinct lateral band.
6. You should care about suckers because trout LOVE sucker spawn!
Various species of ants, commonly black or brown in color, some winged, with sizes ranging from 12-28. Important, especially in summer and early autumn. Winged ants are likely Monomorium sp