The Reel Life

        Fly selection can be a tough nut to crack for the begging fly angler.  It seems that now-a-days, every other fish bum with a pick-up truck and yellow lab has got a few flies named after them.  And with fly companies competing to introduce the latest and greatest fly patterns every year, there are now literally thousands of different patterns to choose from.  Gone are the days when all a fly fisher need were a few Grey hackles, Renegades, Adams’ or Prince nymphs.

        And while the old standards will catch plenty of fish, there are new flies out there that can sometimes work better.  But to understand which fly you should have at the end of your line, you should have a basic understanding of what the fish are looking for.  Knowing what bugs are hatching, and which ones the trout are eating, will help you when choosing a fly from your box.

From a simplistic point of view, there are several different groups of insects that trout fisherman should be able to identify.  While my run down of these bugs may not hold up in an entomology class, I think it’s a good start.

        As far as a bugs go, a Mayfly is a handsome insect.  As an adult, they have tall wings and a long three-forked tail.  The mayfly nymph will spend a year or so crawling around in the rocks of the stream bed.  When the feeling is right, the will emerge to the surface, shuck their nymph exoskeleton and hatch into adults.  The adult will then sit atop the surface of the water as it dries of its wings and prepares for its first flight.  At this time, the Mayfly is in the Dunn stage and it will resemble a small sailboat afloat on the currents of the stream.  During the emergence and the Dunn stage, trout will feed on the insect both underwater and on the surface.

       Mayflies come in different shapes and sizes.  Blue Winged Olives (BWO), Pale Morning Dunn’s (PMD), Tricos and Drakes are all different types of mayflies.  Once you have identified that the bug on the water is a mayfly, try to match the size and color to something in your fly box.  And it’s important to take note of what stage of the hatching insect trout are feeding on. 

      There are two main types of Stoneflies that anglers should be aware of.  The Salmon Fly is the common term for the large (2 inches long!) prehistoric looking creature that is found on some of our waters in the spring.  The other is the Yellow Sally, and is a much smaller and lighter colored version.  While certain aspects of their life cycles are similar to Mayflies, trout get most excited about eating adult stones when they return to the water to lay their eggs.  A Stimulator is a great Stonefly pattern, and if you match size and color, you should be able to fool a few trout.

Caddis adults will look like small moths as they fly around the brush alongside the stream.  On the water, their profile is commonly described as tent like, and they have two long antennae.  Fish are happy to eat caddis nymphs or dries, and the biggest Caddis hatches will happen in the spring.  As with Stoneflies, Caddis will also be vulnerable to trout when they return to the water as egg layers. 

Terrestrials are bugs like Grasshoppers, Ants and Crickets, and are great sources of trout food, especially when other bugs are not hatching.  Not much mystery here, if a Terrestrial falls into the stream, a fish will eat it, and fishing with one is always a good idea in the warm months. 

Midges are very small insects that are usually only relevant in cold tail waters or lakes, or when fishing in the wintertime.  For anglers fishing the Taos area, Midges rarely are a factor. 

      Local Fly Shops  will always be the best source of information on current hatches and best flies to imitate them.