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DavidFin
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- Jun 12, 2010
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Hey guys, what size Crane Fly nymphs are you using in SE PA?
PennKev
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Can't speak for SE PA specifically, but I carry crane fly imitations from #12 down to #18 and have had some success with flies as large as #8. The larva of some species can be rather large, but #14 and 16 seems to be the sweet spot. It doesn't hurt that a lot of caddis larva are the same size as this.
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JeffK
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Most crane fly larva I seine up are in the 1/2" to 1" range. Decades ago I would seine the tiny spring runs out of spring houses for crane fly larva and crayfish for bait. Of course this is prime mop fly size.
An older pattern that seems like an earlier mop fly was to tie a strip of chamois off the end of a short hook (for action) and tie a dark fur or peacock herl head on the hook. 12 to 14 was a sweet spot for these and beads helped the pattern when they appeared..
Many crane fly patterns are monster "turd" style flies. Walt's Worm was originally a crane fly pattern. A simple version is wrapping cream colored nylon yarn on a size 8 or 10 hook. Wound nylon yarn is translucent when wet and in my opinion crane fly larva should be translucent like the real article whose abdomen is just a sac of soft goo. In my bait days had to be sure to hook them in the head or they would deflate like a popped balloon.
An older pattern that seems like an earlier mop fly was to tie a strip of chamois off the end of a short hook (for action) and tie a dark fur or peacock herl head on the hook. 12 to 14 was a sweet spot for these and beads helped the pattern when they appeared..
Many crane fly patterns are monster "turd" style flies. Walt's Worm was originally a crane fly pattern. A simple version is wrapping cream colored nylon yarn on a size 8 or 10 hook. Wound nylon yarn is translucent when wet and in my opinion crane fly larva should be translucent like the real article whose abdomen is just a sac of soft goo. In my bait days had to be sure to hook them in the head or they would deflate like a popped balloon.
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DavidFin
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Thanks for the tips! Funny you mention that older pattern as a potential predecessor of the Mop Fly. Nothing original under the sun!
Maurice
Administrator
Staff member
One day a cew years ago while pumping a stream we stranded dozens of cranefly larvae in a puddle. They were from 1/2"-1" long cigar shaped white worms. Scooped them up and moved them outside yhe coffer dam and behold they began to swim. It looked like a parade of streamers miving in all directions. They flattened and snaked/swam through the water. Some may have reached 2.5" long. If. Aptured they shrunk back to their resting shape.
So that gives the chamois worm some credibility in my book.
So that gives the chamois worm some credibility in my book.
