craneflies success

[SBecker]

Two times I have hit a cranefly hatch that the fish were on. Once on Penns and another on the Po. Both times I was lucky enough to have some knotted legged beauties that Jonas had at The Feathered Hook. They were size 14's.

 

[JeffK]

Cranefly dry flies used to be a staple of my limestone stream box and they saved many a slow day. Lately, as Troutbert noted, they don't come out as much.

We used to call cranefly larvae springworms and they are deadly for trout. Used to seine them out of tiny little spring runs to use for bait. Had to hook them through the head because if you pierced the body they would deflate. Many "fur on a hook" patterns did the job as well as strips of chamois trailing behind a short hook. I do think a cream/tan/grey mop makes a better cranefly larva pattern.