Solved a (not-)Trico problem

[lestrout]

Yesterday I was ffishing a cool water (64 degrees) creek late morning and saw a bunch of trouts hovering and sipping away. Although I didn't see the usual clouds of midges, I tried an emergent midge, getting surprisingly little interest. Just for the heck of it, maybe intuition or Zen, I put on a Trike pattern that has been working. To my surprise, the trouts liked it! They would even break out of their feeding lanes to hit it, something that would rarely happen unless there were a lot of buzzing midges ovipositing and mating. Remember I was not seeing midges in the air, on the water or in spider webs. After landing several trouts, breaking off a couple (under rocks and logs) and hooking a bunch more (still trying to resolve best hook shapes), I had to go. To the dentist, no less! Though it was past noon, the trouts were still at it.

Now this was on a stream that I have never seen Tricos on, even after decades of searching.

Today, again late morning, I tried a different spot. Same pattern of hovering trouts nibbling away. Same success with the Trike - actually landed a few more than yesterday, using a different 3wt.

When I got to my car (brand new), parked in the cool shade, I noticed a huge number of little milky spots on the windshield. I recognized them as the "dew" that lanternfly nymphs create when they are feeding on my maples. I guess when they fall in the water, they are terrestials. So I was matching the 'hatch' all along.

 

[afishinado]

lestrout wrote:
Yesterday I was ffishing a cool water (64 degrees) creek late morning and saw a bunch of trouts hovering and sipping away. Although I didn't see the usual clouds of midges, I tried an emergent midge, getting surprisingly little interest. Just for the heck of it, maybe intuition or Zen, I put on a Trike pattern that has been working. To my surprise, the trouts liked it! They would even break out of their feeding lanes to hit it, something that would rarely happen unless there were a lot of buzzing midges ovipositing and mating. Remember I was not seeing midges in the air, on the water or in spider webs. After landing several trouts, breaking off a couple (under rocks and logs) and hooking a bunch more (still trying to resolve best hook shapes), I had to go. To the dentist, no less! Though it was past noon, the trouts were still at it.

Now this was on a stream that I have never seen Tricos on, even after decades of searching.

Today, again late morning, I tried a different spot. Same pattern of hovering trouts nibbling away. Same success with the Trike - actually landed a few more than yesterday, using a different 3wt.

When I got to my car (brand new), parked in the cool shade, I noticed a huge number of little milky spots on the windshield. I recognized them as the "dew" that lanternfly nymphs create when they are feeding on my maples. I guess when they fall in the water, they are terrestials. So I was matching the 'hatch' all along.

Interesting.

Les flies!!

 

[larkmark]

That is very interesting. I was wondering if trout would get on to eating them. I still have not seen them eat an adult. I even threw some in hoping fish would come up but none did.

 

[Vaughn]

I have definitely seen trout eat adult lanternflies, and I have caught trout on imitations of same.

 

[Rockfish]

Vaughn that’s interesting. Would you share a pic of your lantern fly ties?

 

[lestrout]

Yo Roc - it's getting a little late (and cold) for those lanternflies, but here's a great article by Mary Kuss on patterns. https://www.jsflyfishing.com/blog/bad-bug-good-bug/

 

[Vaughn]

Thanks for the link to the article Les.

I tie two SLF patterns, one tent winged profile and one spent winged profile. Both on size 10 hooks.