What Is That On The Lake?

[Gramps]

I have no luck fishing on the lake here with flies. Today I was watching the trout feeding on the surface, but I couldn't see what it was. Then I looked closer and there was millions of little specks on the water. Too small to even see when i'm standing up. I had to get on my knees and get the light just right to see them.

Are the fish feeding on these specks? If so. What would I use for a fly?

[TyroneFly]

Gramps,

When I fish lakes and the itty bitty specks come out, I switch over to midge patterns. I find the Griffith gnat in size 24 does the trick.

[Silverexpress]

Gramps,

Here is a secret method showed to me by no other than JC himself in a prior thread, and it should work wonders in the situation you described above. We will share it with you on grounds that you apply this with utmost responsibility....

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/lighter ... ack29.html

[ducksterman]

Gramps...good chance they were actually on emergers.

[Gramps]

Gramps,

When I fish lakes and the itty bitty specks come out, I switch over to midge patterns. I find the Griffith gnat in size 24 does the trick.

Doesn't seem like much of a meal for the fish. Do they suck in 100 at a time? I see a ring with bubbles, so I know they're taking from the surface. Are they midges? I have no experience with midges.

[Gramps]

Gramps...good chance they were actually on emergers.

I see nothing that big coming to the surface. Just these specs.

[J Castwell]

Gramps, See if you can catch anything with a very fine mesh hand net. But, it does sound like midges. Remember, you eat peanuts and popcorn; pretty small stuff. And, yes you can catch fish on midges.

[ducksterman]

"I see a ring with bubbles"

That's a classic emerger rise.......do a google search there should be info on the various rise forms...but I do know Gramps you're on your way to those Colorado rivers

Yes , it's likely midges % wise...[chironomids]... but could be other things e.g. a few days I was watching a Mayfly hatch

[jeffnles1]

Pete,
They've been driving me crazy on a local tailwater the past couple weeks. I think they're midges. Just tiny little specks flying around and landing on the water. I know the fish are eating them. I was fortunate enough to keep my eye on one darting around. It was dancing on the water. I suppose it was laying eggs. It was hovering a couple inches off the water surface and dipping down every couple seconds to just touch the water. This thing was tiny. There's no way that I can possibly see to get a fly that small. My 22 adams looked huge next to these things.

Well, that little bug I was watching danced on the water too many times. About 3' from where I was standing watching it, the poor thing's luck ran out. Plop, a trout about 10" long gulped it down. There was a cloud of thost things flying around but I was able to keep my eye on a single one for about 10 seconds until the fish ate it.

I tried some midge nymphs but only got one decent strike and missed the hook set. I was so shocked that I finally got a strike after about 20 casts that I just missed the hook up.

Last Sunday, it was the same story, but I tied on, out of pure frustration, a number 12 Royal Coachman. Light was fading and it was all I could see to thread the tippet through and tie on. I cought two fish in about 15 minutes. One was a 12" rainbow and one was a 16" rainbow. Then it got too dark to see.

Last night, the coachman didn't even warrant a passing glance.

A #14 yellow humpy got a few lookers but no takers. My #18 and #20 adams and some other #20 fly (BWO I think) didn't draw even so much as a look.

I tried a couple ants and hoppers and no luck either.

They really like whatever those little specks are. I think they're midges but I'm not a stream side biologist so I'm not sure. They must have a lot of nourishment for a little bug..

Jeff

[flyandtie]

i think,,, like all others, that they are midges.
i often have the same issues on my local lake.
and if i do not have something small enough for them, i throw a unweighted streamer at them but believe it or not this has worked wonders for me when the fish are eating the midges like that.

but most of the time i go with tiny (up in the 20's) midges, or emergers that you cant even see, you just watch your leader, and if it twitches or you see a bulg by your leader/ fly line set the hook. remember it never hurts to hookset, they are free.