occasions black work wonders for this intense moment in angling time. A majority of caddisfly species are exceptional divers, and after breaking the surface film the females swim quickly to the bottom of the river where they cling to the rocks and gravel as they leg their eggs.
The Egg-Laying Grannom Caddis in sizes 12-18 and the Egg-Laying Elk Hair Caddis in 12-16 work best when fished solo and on shortened leaders of about 6 to 7-feet long. The hot-green ball of material at the butt of these imitations represents the egg sack and is a beacon for feeding trout. If fished properly these flies incite fast, hard hitting strikes. My suggestions for anglers are to bring quite a few imitations and step-up the practice on your ninja-like reflexes before heading to the river. I have had moments in the middle of this climactic emergence that resulted in many broken off flies and missed trout, due to the brute force and speed at which trout strike these patterns.
The patterns I have suggested are imitations of caddisflies that I have found work on the waters I predominantly fish. There exist thousands of patterns specifically designed to catch trout during a caddis emergence, and knowing to any degree of certainty which ones work best for your home waters will only come about through trial and error. However, if you employ these techniques the next time you find yourself choking on the remnants of caddisflies on your favorite stretch of water, you may be surprised at the increase in the number of trout caught during your season.
Timing
Above all else, timing is everything, and even the best hatch charts are merely suggestions. In order to successfully fish out every opportunity caddisflies have to offer for catching trout, knowing your local dates of emergence is the key to successful days. A fishing journal goes a long way in aiding anglers toward becoming better at keying in on important dates and conditions.
Check with local fly shops and peruse through hatch charts to gain general knowledge on emergence dates for caddis on your local waters. Then go wet a line or two with the notebook in tow when caddisflies are rumored to be out. Write down everything you come across while on the water. Water temperature and clarity, cloudy days or days of full blown sun, all determine the outcome of an angling day. I maintain several and most are filled with wildly scribbled gibberish because writing seemed futile at the time when the hatch was on fire and trout were rising all around. But, for those first couple of trips I cannot stress the importance in stopping long enough to take the time to write in them.
After you gather a comfortable amount of personally observed activity, you should be able to start to target those emergence times within a day or two before the main hatch. Keep jotting notes throughout the main emergence when the larvae and emerging pupae are extremely active and target the trout with the right imitations. Then, a week or two at the outside edge of their emergence dates keep casting the egg-laying imitations in the evening and emergers during mid morning into the afternoon. Keeping track of these overlooked factors, along with the documented times of increased insect and trout activity, will eventually turn your future angling pursuits into endless tight lines.
- Anthony Grasso -