White Fly hatch?

[Salvi1]

All,

Hello living near the breeches and the susquehanna is there activity going on with this yearly hatch or not?..the yellow breeches outfitters site is no help at all from what i understand this should be going down. also what tips/times for fishing this hatch in any area i am sure the allenberry area gets quite crowded at this time has anyone ever checked any other parts of the breeches at this time and had any luck? any info most welcome. the main reason i have never expirienced this hatch is because i think it starts too late and im a very early riser during the workweek...

S,

 

[Woolybugger]

First let me say that almost every night there is a hatch on the Susquehanna. The huge blizzard hatch of the white Millers is from about July 1 until around Aug 10.
Last night there was a small hatch in the river around Perdix, but not billions like a couple weeks ago. The flies usually work their way upstream and should be in the Breeches by now........ but they only hatch there for a couple weeks, not at all like the huge hatches in the Susquehanna.
I have had great success with a dry fly in the Susquehanna (this year is terrible compared to past years, but I still caught a few)
I couldn't get them to hit a White Wulff or a small white popper. You need distinct wings and a drake tail to look like the Millers in the river but the problem is the fly won't float that well... even with Gink!! If you use glue to make Miller looking wings out of hackle, the fly will sink. Even hackle tips on a dry will not float like it should. What worked for me is to slice a small piece of foam (perfect popper heads) and tie bucktail tail and hackle tip wings with no hackle on the body.
I use a size 10 that looks exactly like the Millers in the water, only 25% bigger.
The hatch usually starts around dark, 8:30 and gets into full swing by 10:00. Without the full moon the fish love the darkness and swim on the top just gorging on the billions of Millers.
The most wonderful way to catch smallmouth with a flyrod........ but this year has been so terrible for me, I think I'll wait until fall for the striped bass migration! But that's another thread, I just hope the bass will make a comeback.

Scuze me, while I tie a fly

 

[Padraic]

I haven't been out fishing in a long while, so I can't tell you if the hatch is on.

As for tips, I've noticed that when fishing for trout on the breeches, the key is presentation. Keep a short line and "highstick" the rod so that as little of your flyline is on the water as possible. Then drag the fly around slowly. Usually, from a quartering downstream presentation. Anyway, the hit will be fast, so let the trout take the fly down before setting the hook.

The hatch comes off very late. After sunset, maybe even full dark. Be prepared to stay out pretty late.

Believe it or not, you may do better with a streamer. I got frustrated one night and put on a Shenks White Minnow and got two nice browns. Not trophies, but chunky fish that put up a good fight. In a hatch that heavy, every fish in the stream is going after the bugs, except the big ones that are going after the other fish that have forgotten to be wary! (Of course that's true of any hatch...)

Also, the fly stretch on the breeches gets very, very crowded. If you fish there, you'll want to stay fairly late to avoid wading through where people are fishing.

 

[Biggie]

I was on the Breeches last Saturday night. I believe this was the first night of the famous white fly hatch. Cold Springs Anglers site says that it started Monday, but it was on Sat. and only one other fisherman in the "slow water" at dark. As for me, I gave up fishing the white fly a couple of years ago, too frustrating. However I caught one brown over 20" and lost another just a big at dark on a white wollybugger. I was stripping it in and the big boys were chasing it down. It was a blast.....Go now for the white fly and take a light, you'll need to stay after dark to fish it. Good Luck if you go.

 

[flybum]

Man, I love hearing about hatches like that......I makes me start dreaming :-D