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Fly Fishing Tips: Tips For Matching The Hatch
by Eric Halloran
When the hatch is on, insects like mayflies and caddis
flies are in transition from their aquatic phase to
their adult flying phase. They are very vulnerable at
this point either making their way to the surface,
emerging from their immature exoskeleton just at the
surface, or drying their wings on top of the surface.
The fish (trout and bass in my area) take full advantage
of the opportunity. They devour scores of hapless bugs
to the point that they fixate on this one kind of
insect. At this time, the only fly that will be
effective will be a fly that can 'match the hatch' -
convincingly imitate that insect. Also at this time,
even the most experienced fly fisher will be exhilarated
- the river is alive with fish activity. When the fish
are taking the bugs from the surface, they will make all
sorts of commotion at the surface. Sometimes they
quietly sip, sometimes they porpoise in the current, and
sometimes they leap fully clear of the water and
displace considerable amounts upon reentry. In all the
excitement with rise-forms revealing the locations of
trout all around, it is often hard to remain calm. But a
little hesitation for some further investigation can be
very rewarding.
1) Observe the feeding behavior of the fish carefully.
You should be able to discern if the fish are taking
mayflies which are drying their wings on the surface, or
if they are inhaling the emergers just below the surface
(mounds of water will seem to appear at the surface, but
you won't necessarily see any part of the fish come out
of the water), or if they are taking the nymphs rising
through the water column (you may see a flash as they
turn back to their lie, or the white of their mouths
under the water as they feed).
2) Observe the insect - attempt to snatch one - your net
or a small aquarium dipper might come in handy for this
purpose - bugs are surprisingly difficult to catch when
they are drifting along on the surface as well as when
they are flying. Take particular note of size and color
and general body type.
3) Observe the relative location of the feeding activity
of the fish. This will be the product of two factors -
a) where the bugs are hatching (in the current, in the
pool, in shallow or deep water) and b) where the fish
can conserve energy and feel safe (usually in deeper
water, just adjacent to the faster current, and in
cover).
If you can make just a few of these observations, you
probably have enough information to match the hatch. One
common misconception is that you
need to perfectly match the insect. There are flies that
are painstakingly built to look realistic (to the human
eye). But in the water to a fish, these miniature works
of art often fail to accurately mimic behavior,
appearing stiff and unlifelike. Matching the hatch is
more an exercise in Impressionistic art, suggesting the
features or characteristics of the insect to the fish.
Lets investigate the most important features of the fly
with respect to the observations listed above.
1) Body type - if you captured the insect or can see it
close up on the water, you can make a very general
characterization of it's body type without studying
entomology. If it looks like a little sailboat with
triangular shaped wings perpendicular to the surface of
the water, it is a mayfly 'dun' drying it's wings in
preparation to fly. This insect is matched by the
classic Catskill dry fly patterns or by the more modern
parachute dry fly patterns. If the insect buzzed around
on top of the surface in all directions and the wings on
it's chubby back look like they form a little pup tent
at rest on the water or in your hand, it is a caddis fly
(probably landing on the surface to deposit eggs). An
Elk Hair Caddis is the standard dry fly imitation for
this insect.
2) Metamorphic phase - This comes back to your
observation of the feeding behavior of the fish. If the
fish were very obvious and splashy, then they were
taking the adult phase of the insect on the surface and
you already know which dry fly imitation is appropriate
as discussed above. If the fish are taking the emerger
phase making bulges at the surface but not coming out of
the water, you'll want to use the 'emerger' pattern of
the mayfly - in many cases a parachute will double as a
convincing emerger and as the drying dun imitation. The
'Usual' is another pattern that effectively imitates an
emerger. If the fish are active below the surface, you
will want to use a nymph imitation and use the 'Leisenring
Lift' to gently drag it vertically through the water
column to the surface and imitate the mayfly nymph
before it emerges. Note that you may be able to capture
the mature dun on the surface, even though that phase of
the same insect is not the one the fish are fixated on.
3) Size - If you captured the insect you can literally
match it for size against your imitation. If you cannot
capture the insect take your best guess, tie it on and
cast it out there among the insects on the river - you
will be able to judge whether it is close.
Size is probably the most important factor when it comes
down to fooling the fish.
4) Color - Having the insect in your hand will again
provide you with a valuable reference for matching
against your selection of imitations. But color is not
nearly as important as size. Consider that if there is a
bright sunny or overcast sky above the surface or if
there is very little light available, the fish is
probably experiencing the bugs in silhouette and a dark
or black imitation will be very convincing.
5) Use all the clues you have collected to imitate the
behavior of the insect with the fly when you have your
selection tied on to your tippet and are ready to cast.
Use the information on location to place the fly into
the feeding lane. And prepare for action!
But, how do you know which flies to bring to the river
in the first place? You need to do your advance work
from home - call or visit a fly shop, check the fly
fishing web sites and message boards. Call friends and
acquaintances who frequent this water. Gather all the
information you can and stock up or tie the patterns in
different sizes and a few of the standard colors. It is
not a bad idea to have some flies tied sparsely (for low
flows and slow moving pools) and the same pattern tied
densely (for buoyancy in fast water and rapids).
Now you know how to match the hatch, get out there
because you can't match the hatch if you aren't on the
river when one occurs.
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