The most anticipated hatch of the year
- Thread starter swimmy
- Start date
Ammo from better years-
Oliver1329
Life of the Party
The river I live on does not have a giant stonefly hatch so my favorite hatch has to be October Caddis. I'll fish a big orange chubby with a big orange dropper and I'll catch fish all day. Then maybe at the end of the day, I'll go swing a big orange soft hackle and catch a couple more fish. October is just great fishing for me!
I don’t do much fishing on big lakes, but thanks to a friend-of-a-friend, some years back i caught a flying ant hatch on a specific portion of a N Idaho lake. The friend - a semi-retired guy from Finland who oversaw the lake’s marine deputies - had it totally wired.
That was ridiculous - probably the highest concentration of really really big rainbows rising i have ever seen. That area also has a super cool humongous green drake hatch at times too.
Also the Finn dude is a legend - so damn cool. Want to be him when i grow up.
No joke, later that summer he invited me out to their place and said “hey bring a fly rod for bass.” When I got there he gave me a tour of their (amazing) property and said “hey i just field mowed around our two ponds - feel free to fish in them.” When I asked what to expect he just smiled and said “just make sure to put them all back gently.”
Crazy SMB and LMB fiesta! May have been some other species in there too. It was nuts.
That was ridiculous - probably the highest concentration of really really big rainbows rising i have ever seen. That area also has a super cool humongous green drake hatch at times too.
Also the Finn dude is a legend - so damn cool. Want to be him when i grow up.
No joke, later that summer he invited me out to their place and said “hey bring a fly rod for bass.” When I got there he gave me a tour of their (amazing) property and said “hey i just field mowed around our two ponds - feel free to fish in them.” When I asked what to expect he just smiled and said “just make sure to put them all back gently.”
Crazy SMB and LMB fiesta! May have been some other species in there too. It was nuts.
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swimmy
An honest tune with a lingering lead
Missouri has the thickest trico hatch I’ve ever seen. The sheer volume of bugs when it is rolling is mind boggling.
True that. Couldn't easily find great pics of the clouds of Tricos we get on the Missouri but did locate a similar view of egg-laying swarms from the Bitterroot. The Trico masses on the Mo are actually larger. Trico fishing crowds likewise.
Got lucky a few years ago in BC and hit the Traveling Sedge hatch on a small lake. Grandson and I were returning from Alaska and stayed a couple days at Meadow Lakes camp off highway 24. Fishing was just fair, saw a few Sedge our last day there but we had to work for our fish. Dropped down a couple thousand feet in elevation to another lake and as soon as we arrived we could see fish rising everywhere. I set him out in a float tube with an 8’ four weight Redington CT and a DT line. He proceeded to catch fish every few casts between 12-18”, fast and furious. Between hooking up and then fighting off loons and eagles it was an epic day for him. The rest of our trip was pretty great as well. 3 years later I took his brother to the same lake but missed the hatch entirely. Still caught fish, some up to 25”, but on nymphs. The callibaetis hatch has always been a favorite, whether on a NorCal river where the 1st gen callibaetis are a #12 and one might get a 20” or bigger brown or a steelhead or a spring creek in the Great Basin where I took an 18 lb. Tiger (length/girth) on a #12 callibaetis in May.
Local wild trout river has a nice March Brown hatch with some beautiful rainbows but timing is tricky because snowmelt can raise the river from 600 CFS to 10000 in a matter of a couple days. Timing is a matter of luck most years.
The most anticipated hatch for me is when I get there and the fish are looking up; they’re all great.
Local wild trout river has a nice March Brown hatch with some beautiful rainbows but timing is tricky because snowmelt can raise the river from 600 CFS to 10000 in a matter of a couple days. Timing is a matter of luck most years.
The most anticipated hatch for me is when I get there and the fish are looking up; they’re all great.
Third week of June used to be magic at BC's Knouff Lake fishing size 8-12 olive sedges off the sunken islands. I've had some August BC trips to the high elevation Thuya lakes when I haven't taken a #10 dry olive sedge off the line. Here's my friend Greg Nelson playing a Kamploops which took a dry sedge fished off a shoal of a Meadow Lakes lake. A tiny chop on the water is perfect when you are retrieving the flies and making a v wake.
I have one problem with the March Brown hatch on the Yakima. It's over really fast and always wants to happen just when you sit down for lunch.
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BDD
Steelhead
Can't pin point a favorite...depends on the situation. Traveling sedge for stillwaters is high on the list, if not the top of it. For moving water, any hatch that consistently brings the fish on top is okay with me.
Skwallas because its generally the first hatch of the year to bring fish up consistently even though you don't see a lot of adults. I like the March Brown because you can sneak out and fish the hatch on an extended lunch break and be back for a late afternoon meeting. Mother's Day caddis because of the sheer number of naturals and the longevity of it. Of course, Salmon flies are a joy because of the extreme size of the insect. October caddis because who doesn't like fishing in the fall and again, the size and behavior of the natural insect.
Skwallas because its generally the first hatch of the year to bring fish up consistently even though you don't see a lot of adults. I like the March Brown because you can sneak out and fish the hatch on an extended lunch break and be back for a late afternoon meeting. Mother's Day caddis because of the sheer number of naturals and the longevity of it. Of course, Salmon flies are a joy because of the extreme size of the insect. October caddis because who doesn't like fishing in the fall and again, the size and behavior of the natural insect.
R
RyRy82
Guest
I really enjoy the damsel hatch on crane prairie in late June to early July. Strip strip bang.
I stink at both!Well I've never fished off shore for lingcod so guess we're in the same boat.
For lakes, yeah, Roper, it's damsels. The callibaetis hatch is fun on some lakes, I do love caddisflies on lakes but best on moving water.
I can't disagree with anything any of you have written.
The only thing I'd add is an ant hatch. Caught one once, I'll never forget it. I have no idea how to predict it.
I can't disagree with anything any of you have written.
The only thing I'd add is an ant hatch. Caught one once, I'll never forget it. I have no idea how to predict it.
