Tricos

[troutpoop]

I have been looking at Trico patterns and it appears they are just tiny copies of many of the larger patterns. Is the trico a specific bug or just a tiny fly size, or something else??

 

[gfen]

Fishing tricos is actually fishing trico spinner falls. For the most part, they're just really, really tiny spinners. There are some unique differnces between a trico spinner and a size 26 rusty spinner, though.

Short bodies, very long tails. White tails, black abdomens for the females, black and black for the males.

 

[Fishidiot]

troutpoop wrote:
I have been looking at Trico patterns and it appears they are just tiny copies of many of the larger patterns. Is the trico a specific bug or just a tiny fly size, or something else??

Poop,
Trico flies are essentially smaller versions of other dry fly patterns that resemble other larger mayflies. However, the trico (pronounced "tryko") is a specific insect which is a very small mayfly. Part of their Latin name is Tricorithydes and this is just shortened to "trico."

 

[surveyor06]

Al's Trico is different from the majority of trico spinner patterns. Very easy tie, and very effective, can also be used as a dun if by chance you get to the stream early enough.

 

[troutpoop]

Thanks. Boy, it seems there are a bunch patterns out there for a male & female bug?

I do notice they are similar but wow, there are differences. That seems to be the same for all the flies now that I'm thinking of it. One guys interpretation of a fly is different than another guys.

 

[wsender]

Buy, or tie, a few and fish them from dusk until you can no longer see them. They're a bunch of fun and allow you to catch trout you might not otherwise catch, ie. fingerling Brookies.

 

[PennKev]

Buy, or tie, a few and fish them from dusk until you can no longer see them. They're a bunch of fun and allow you to catch trout you might not otherwise catch, ie. fingerling Brookies.

You probably are not fishing tricos...

Tricos = Morning fishing

 

[greenghost]

PennKev wrote:

Buy, or tie, a few and fish them from dusk until you can no longer see them. They're a bunch of fun and allow you to catch trout you might not otherwise catch, ie. fingerling Brookies.

You probably are not fishing tricos...

Tricos = Morning fishing

True with spinners but the duns can actually come off at dusk into the night and fish can lock on them. I've actually fished tiny Trico duns on Spring Creek a few times into dark.

 

[PennKev]

True with spinners but the duns can actually come off at dusk into the night and fish can lock on them. I've actually fished tiny Trico duns on Spring Creek a few times into dark.

That is sometimes the case but it is not the reliable fishing associated with trico spinner falls. If someone asks me what they need to do to fish over tricos, fishing at dusk/evening would not be my first suggestion.

Kev

 

[greenghost]

That is sometimes the case but it is not the reliable fishing associated with trico spinner falls. If someone asks me what they need to do to fish over tricos, fishing at dusk/evening would not be my first suggestion.

Kev

Kev,
Of course that's true. When someone says fishing the tricos hatch, they mean the spinner fall in the morning. That's when the fish go crazy... or at least hopefully they do.

I just thought I mention the not-very-well-known-fact that the actual "hatch" happens in the evening and trout do eat the duns, too.

 

[wsender]

I could have sworn I read a Tom R. article that someone posted here about warm, still, summer evenings being great for tricos.

I've been fishing them at dusk and have been getting TONS of hits.

 

[wsender]

found the article, and I do quote:

"most spinner falls happen on warm, soft, windless evenings."

http://knol.google.com/k/tom-rosenbauer/the-best-hatch-for-big-trout/14mzrj4t85lit/120#

 

[scotto]

I don't believe he is referring to tricos specifically, but mayflies in general. Many/most spinner falls do occur as he prescribes, though they can occur anytime. Trico spinner falls are almost always a morning event.

 

[afishinado]

Here's a detailed trico study done on the Little Lehigh:

http://famu.org/mayfly/pubs/pub_g/pubgoughf1998p129.pdf

 

[goodfortune]

Another idea for fishing the trico hatch is to try some drowned trico spinner patterns. The current will drag many trico spinners beneath the surface, making them available to fish both during and following the spinnerfall. It is possible that fish will respond to them, well after the spinnerfall is done for the day.

I used a size #20 drowned trico with success while fishing my 1st trico hatch last year. I fished it like a nymph, behind a behead. Fishing a drowned trico off of a short dropper, tied to the bend of a larger dry fly, may also work well.

Hope that helps.

 

[jdaddy]

I could have sworn I read a Tom R. article that someone posted here about warm, still, summer evenings being great for tricos. I've been fishing them at dusk and have been getting TONS of hits.

I don't doubt that, but are they keyed in on tiny micro caddis, tiny olives, etc, etc, etc? I think we give trout a lot of credit for their selectivity of patterns, but we give them WAY too much credit for dusk/night. It's all profile/silhouette at that point.

 

[afishinado]

jdaddy wrote:

I could have sworn I read a Tom R. article that someone posted here about warm, still, summer evenings being great for tricos. I've been fishing them at dusk and have been getting TONS of hits.

I don't doubt that, but are they keyed in on tiny micro caddis, tiny olives, etc, etc, etc? I think we give trout a lot of credit for their selectivity of patterns, but we give them WAY too much credit for dusk/night. It's all profile/silhouette at that point.

Jd is right. I'd tie on a big juicy black bugger........not a trike at nite.

 

[wsender]

jdaddy wrote:

I could have sworn I read a Tom R. article that someone posted here about warm, still, summer evenings being great for tricos. I've been fishing them at dusk and have been getting TONS of hits.

I don't doubt that, but are they keyed in on tiny micro caddis, tiny olives, etc, etc, etc? I think we give trout a lot of credit for their selectivity of patterns, but we give them WAY too much credit for dusk/night. It's all profile/silhouette at that point.

I agree 101%. I think if they seem something they is reasonable, they'll take interest at it. Especially as evening falls.

 

[govtmule]

maybe the evening trico thing is for some western rivers??

 

[jdaddy]

maybe the evening trico thing is for some western rivers??

That's a good theory but my research found that is not the case. Referencing Schwiebert's Nymphs Vol 1 - Mayflies - The Major Species and Al Caucci's & Bob Nastasi's Hatches II, all of the tricos seem to have males hatching during night hours - usually between 10:00 PM and 2:00 AM. Females hatch early AM. There is really no discussion of fishing the dun stage. There is extensive discussion of fishing the nymphal stage. Apparently many eastern writers dismissed fishing the early morning nymph stage, while western writers found the higher elevations made fishing them worthwhile. I guess we know where Rod gets his theory now, huh? There has been a big turn among eastern writers who now embrace trico nymph fishing. One thing I did learn in this reading is that apparently the trico nymphs of the LL have an amber coloration to SOME of them. This seems to be limited the LL and there is no explanation to this unique coloration. There are some really great fly recipes for the "Fisherman's Curse".

Edit: Got kind of OT on there at the end. The trico experience is documented in Mexico, Newfoundland, Canada, Eastern and Western US and the emergence and spinner fall patterns are all very similar.