Inchworm Season?

Dave_W

Dave_W

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There's long been a belief that early to mid June saw something of an inchworm hatch on PA freestoners. Some creeks in particular seemed to be associated with this point of view, Big Hunting Creek and Clarks Creek stick in my mind. In particular, mid sized mountain freestoners like these that have good conifer cover seem to be associated with this game.

Other FFers are skeptical. I'm undecided but lean toward thinking there may be something to it. I do see a fair number of green inchworms hanging from threads this time of year and I've long liked inchworm patterns, both floating and sinking. A sinking green inchorm worked well for me today.

What's your opinion?
Do you fish inchworm patterns (or Green Weenies) a bit more this time of year? Do you think trout key on inchworms?
 
I tend to use short San Jauns and do pretty well. For me I like to think they think a small San Juan is a inch worm or just a small earth worm. Whatever it is they seem to like it!
 
I always hated the green weenie then Krayfish convinced me to use them :-D I see a ton of them on the savage now through August. In fact I've a green san juan covered in floatant and had some aggresive takes on the surface.
 
I refuse, the green weenie is a travesty...may as well use powerbait.
 
tomitrout wrote:
I refuse, the green weenie is a travesty...may as well use powerbait.
Click to expand...

Shame on those Trouts for eating inch worms and caddis pupae.
 
Dave_W wrote:
There's long been a belief that early to mid June saw something of an inchworm hatch on PA freestoners. Some creeks in particular seemed to be associated with this point of view, Big Hunting Creek and Clarks Creek stick in my mind. In particular, mid sized mountain freestoners like these that have good conifer cover seem to be associated with this game.

Other FFers are skeptical. I'm undecided but lean toward thinking there may be something to it. I do see a fair number of green inchworms hanging from threads this time of year and I've long liked inchworm patterns, both floating and sinking. A sinking green inchorm worked well for me today.

What's your opinion?
Do you fish inchworm patterns (or Green Weenies) a bit more this time of year? Do you think trout key on inchworms?
Click to expand...

No, it's all a hoax.

Just like the so called "sulphur hatch."

 
tomitrout wrote:
I refuse, the green weenie is a travesty...may as well use powerbait.
Click to expand...

Only thing worse is those damn terrestrials and hoppers.
 
Yeah I'm tired of tying alien patterns ^
 
Father's Day 2015 at spring creek was a great green weenie day
 
I don't have extra terrestrials but I have extra weenies.
 
IDK. When I used to fish Clarks on a regular basis I never encountered them in any significant numbers. Always heard it had a "hatch" but not convinced there were really big numbers. Used to carry a few deer hair inch worms but think I lost them all and never replaced them. If terrestrials are on I'm going with a beetle.
 
W Br Schuylkill River: summer stomach analyses of brookies taken for flesh contamination analyses showed high intake of caterpillars. Additionally, in years when inch long millipedes are abundant, freestone brookies gorge themselves on these insects throughout Pa.
By fall, W Br Sch R brookies are full of aphids, most likely coming from the knotweed that lines its banks as well as those of many other disturbed soil embankments in Pa. The knotweed may also be the source of the large caterpillars mentioned above. If you tie a caterpillar pattern, it probably can't be too large based on the stomach contents that we observed.
 
I've seen Brookies stuffed to the gills (and beyond) with them this time of year on some streams. I just typically fish standard attractor dries this time of year anyway, but the fish definitely eat them.
 
The inchworms are not limited to a few streams. They are widely distributed on freestone and limestone streams, brown and brookie and stockie streams.

Basically any place where trees overhang streams. Which in PA is most of the stream mileage.

And it's not really a "hatch" event, because they are around essentially the whole time that there are leaves on the trees. I've seen them from mid to late May through October.

The best inchworm fishing is during the summer months and into early fall. This is also true for other terrestrial fishing. I think it's because the major aquatic hatches have dwindled, so they key in more on the terrestrials.



 
Afish posted a great link to an article in the beginner forum, here's the link.
inchworm
 
I was fishing below the dam at Allenberry many years ago when half a dozen trout rose to my flo green indicator (square roll on type). I've been carrying several floating deer hair inch worms ever since.
 
Inch worm did not work on Big Hunting Creek yesterday.
 
If you do a Google search on "Green Inchworms" then click "Images" you can see what they look like.

Most people have probably seen these hanging by threads from trees.




 
There was a book on terrestrial fly patterns that came out some years ago. Does anyone know if that book included inchworms?
 
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