FS Digest

Let’s talk about matching the hatch. I’ve looked at numerous online sources for some information about the hatches around my area. My problem is I do mostly Stillwater and salt fishing. The Stillwater information I get is for the Deerfield River which is significantly northwest of me. I’m wondering when I am attempting to match the hatch if I should go based on the hatches for the Deerfield River or something else?

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by MrBeanpod

FS Digest

IMHO after 45 years of fly fishing, matching the hatch is greatly overrated excepted in limited circumstances- ie when there really is a hatch to match. Even then not all the trout are going to focused on the phase of the hatch you can actually see (dry flies). 90% of what trout eat is 3/4 of inch long or less and brownish gray.

Present that properly at the right depth of the water column and you will catch fish. If you want to match carry a good selection of imitations along with some generic standard patterns and a few attractors. Also a small aquarium type net is really useful for getting both underwater and surface samples to look at. Also don't forget the terrestrials particularly ants. Beetles and sometimes grasshoppers can be a really big win.

Match what you find with what you have in your box as close as possible and if you see something you don't have that appears to be what they are feeding on then take a pic to your fly tying desk or to the local fly shop. Every river and creek can potentially have different bugs.

Heck even some stretches of the same river can have different species, so close observation is the key, There really isn't any shortcuts to experience... ahh well except maybe for a really good local flyshop :-) Good luck and tight lines.

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by ces614

FS Digest

For Stillwater this time of year, I stick to leeches, damsel nymphs, scuds, and chironomids (although I’m in central Washington).

I wouldn’t try to compare a river hatch chart to what you might see on a lake due to the differences in bug life. Like the river might have a great stonefly hatch with the fish there eating stonefly nymphs all day, but at the same time most likely all that is happening on the lake is some chironomid action.

I’d recommend keeping a thermometer, and a variety of lines to find the right depth that the fish are holding up in. It also helps to kick up some dirt and rocks and see what bugs are coming out. When in doubt for lakes, a black woolly bugger on an intermediate sinking line will almost always do the trick, but a local fly shop can always help with a fishing report.

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by gpwegener

flyguy Loc: Lake Onalaska, Sunfish Capitol of the World!

The previous fellas know what they are talking about, listen to them. But, I wouldn't worry about matching the hatch. It happens, occasionally, and you can try to plan on it at certain times, air temps., water temps., weather conditions, and times of year, if you want. I go out with my bead heads, 90% of food for a trout come off the bottom of the stream, and if I happen upon a hatch I might put a BWO, a Adams, a Trico or whatever, depending the time of the year, on and throw it to an area of the stream that has like 500 of the real things floating down, but I doubt it. Whatever turns you on.