Once
again, I am looking out the window of my sun room, as I am writing this. It is
thirty eight degrees and raining. The Weather Channel assures me that the
temperature will drop and the rain will switch to freezing rain about eleven
o’clockand then begin snowing a bit later. Accumulations are forecast to be
from one to three inches. I am beginning to think that winter has overstayed
its welcome. Normally I like winter especially its clothing, down jackets, wool
sweaters and pile pullovers are my favorites. But this has gone on way too
long.
It
is March now and winter should be over. This is normally my favorite month to
fish. Why is that? This is the month when our most prolific and reliable hatch
of aquatic insects occurs. I am referring to the Rhyacophilia caddis. This is a
large (size 14) insect green adult insect and there are lots of them. This
hatch lasts well into April and provides us with our best dry fly fishing of
the year. Like everything else, some years are better than others. My main
gripe is that it invariably begins during the Sowbug Roundup (scheduled forMarch
26, 27 and 28), when I am stuck in my booth tying flies. Now I love Sowbug but
we’re talking the best top water action of the year.
What
all of this means is that we are just a few weeks, from some great spring
fishing. The thing to do now is to carefully prepare for it. That means it is
time to tie of even buy some flies that you will need for this hatch. You will
need a good nymph, a soft hackle and a dry fly. The caddis has a complete
metamorphosis. This means that it goes through four stages in its life cycle,
egg, larva, pupa and adult.
The
best way to fish the larval and pupal stage would be to use a different fly for
each stage. I usually fish both with a bead head prince nymph. I have already
started fishing it and will continue using it for the next couple of months. I
start with a size fourteen and gradually switch over to a sixteen as the hatch
goes on. The most effective way to fish it is under an indicator with a bit of
lead. Make sure that you are bouncing the bottom. I always add a midge dropper
to increase hang-ups. My current favorite is a ruby midge in size 18.
When
the caddis pupa rise to the surface to emerge from their pupal shucks and break
through the surface tension of the water, is the absolute best time to target trout.
This is when you see fish feeding near the surface but see no insects. I really
like to fish this stage with soft hackles. My absolute favorite soft hackle for
this hatch, is the green butt. This is not because this is my signature pattern
but because it is a dead on imitation of the Rhyacophilia caddis and is
incredibly effective. I fish this with a downstream swing on a long leader
(twelve foot leader/tippet combination) and no lead. I strip the line as soon
as the fly hits the water to sink the fly into the film (an inch from the
surface of the water). You feel the takes.
The
most exciting time to fish the hatch is when the adults are on the top of the
water column and the trout are keying in on them. There is something
intoxicating about watching a good fish eating your fly. My hands down favorite
fly for this hatch is an insect green elk hair caddis. I start with size
fourteen and switch to sixteen as the hatch progresses. The trick to fishing
this fly is a perfect drag free drift. I try to cast at least eighteen inches
above a rising trout and drift down over it. When the trout rises and takes the
fly, wait until the fish closes its mouth and goes down below the surface, before
you set the hook. This is the longest second in fly fishing. The tendency is to
set the hook, when the fish rises, causing a lost trout. Be sure to carry a
good dry fly floatant to waterproof the dry fly, before fishing it, and dry fly
crystals to revive the fly, after landing a trout on the fly.
Forget
the ice and snow! The best fishing of the year is just a few days away. Make
sure that you are ready.
John
Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local
streams for over thirty years.
No comments:
Post a Comment