SCUDS, ISOPODS AND WORMS OH MY - Neil - March 15, 2010

[rtidd]

SCUDS, ISOPODS AND WORMS OH MY

Some of the most important trout foods are not mayflies, caddis flies, stone flies or even the ubiquitous midge. While these insects may constitute the bulk of the trout?s diet on freestone streams in spring creeks and many stillwaters there importance pales in comparison to scuds and isopods.

[Quill gordon]

Very ' Informative' article............. I enjoyed reading it !
Thanks Neil

[LadyFisher]

Terrific of course, the Ray Charles is one that the late Al Campbell did as part of his "Too Simple" series of flies, you can find it here: http://www.flyanglersonline.com/alcampbell/ac022304.php

[okflyfisher]

Some of my first attempts to catch brook trout on a fly rod were in a spring fed lake chock full of scuds in Upper Michigan. I caught fish on a size 16 wooly worm and an extremely sparse small squirrel tail streamer. My scud imataions were too stiff and lifeless and a complete failure even by brook trout standards, even though most of the fish I caught had scuds in their mouths when i landed them. It was not very satisfying to a newbee fly angler to catch fish on other flies when the fish seemed to be always eating scuds.

The trout tailwaters in Oklahoma and Arkansas are dominated by midge, scuds, sowbugs and aquatic worms. One of the streams adds caddis and mayflies to the mix and most have populations of minnows or sculpin

These foods are not very glorious in most flyfishers eyes but if thats what is is in the water you had better learn how to fish them

I appreciate the article on the lowly scud & even lower aquatic worm most of us need to broaden our horizons

[anglerdave]

Neil very well done. I carry a few scuds in various sizes whenever I fish the spring creeks in the NE part of the state. If nothing else seems to be working, I can usually pick up a fish or two on a scud. So far either olive or orange have been the two best colors. I carry some in tan but have not caught any fish on them.

Dave

[flyguy66]

For me, matching the "hatch" means figuring out what the fish are eating and simulating it in a way that the fish will take using fly hooks and tying materials (which in themselves are constantly evolving). Tradition and sentimentality play a role in my preferences, but my overriding goal is to fool fish into taking my offerings. I believe this is the essence of artificial lure fishing - fly, spin, or baitcasting. Having spent the entire first decade of the new millenium plus a couple of years fishing the Ozarks tailwaters and spring fed fisheries for trout and smallmouth bass with a fly rod, I fished more scuds, sowbugs, and aquatic worm flies than I did dry flies during that time. Trout in the Ozarks also take small egg patterns very well, and most anglers think this because of spawn or the conditioning to pellet feed in hatcheries. But there is another "angle" on the small balls appearing as trout food that will also explain why totally wild pan fish and the rare smallie will take an egg pattern too. Aquatic worms and earthworms washed into streams often roll up into balls when washed free into moving water. It's a defense mechanism. So hatchery-reared trout in the Ozarks could see the round fly as one of several potential food sources, but even totally wild fish see them as one or two likely sources of sustenance as well...even when there is no spawn going on.

Neil, your scud and sowbug fly recommendations are as good as any and simpler than many. For my $$$, that makes them better choices for the fly angler who ties his/her own flies. In moving water, dead drifting them is almost always sufficient. Just bounce them along the bottom. If people are not hanging up every 3-4 cast (at least for a second or so), then you're not getting down far enough. In still water, you have to move the scuds and sowbugs just as you described.

In my opinion, anyone who goes to fish nutrient-rich water...spring-fed stuff in particular...without a fly box full of a good variety of this stuff is unarmed.

[kglissmeyer]

Excellent article. I meant to reply sooner, but got sidetracked. I fish San Juan worms on most tailwaters with great success, especially when the water is just a bit off-color. I have fished with scuds and sows for years now. I was turned onto sowbugs on the Provo River in Utah years ago and it is still one of my favorite go-to flies for that particular water. I'll be fishing the Big Horn in a couple of weeks and will have a arsenal of sows for that trip. As for scuds, they have become my specialty due to a particular spring creek that I fish most of the summer and fall months. I have tied them in a variety of shades of olive, olive/gray, tan, and amber, with the amber version being the most productive. ANd then there is the Mysis shrimp that comes out of the outflow of many dams and their tailwaters. Colorado is famous for it's tailwater fisheries such as the Taylor where the trout grow to gargantuan sizes by gorging on Mysis shrimp. I just love a good seafood smorgasbord!

Here are my two favorite scud patterns:

The amber version:


...and the olive version:


Here's a pic of a beastie Brown we caught last season out of my favorite spring, and you will notice all of the amber colored scuds in it's mouth. Some would say they were that color because they've been in the fish's stomach, but when we washed them out of the fish's mouth, they all swam away...


Thanks for a great article.

Kelly.

Kelly.

[okflyfisher]

Hey Kelly that spring lake in Michigan I posted about above had exactly the same amber colored scuds as are in the mouth of your beastie brown.They were the dominant life in that lake and were constantly visable around my feet when wading. It is the only place I have seen that color before.
Great looking flies that pearl flashabou makes a nice rib

[kglissmeyer]

Hey Kelly that spring lake in Michigan I posted about above had exactly the same amber colored scuds as are in the mouth of your beastie brown.They were the dominant life in that lake and were constantly visable around my feet when wading. It is the only place I have seen that color before.
Great looking flies that pearl flashabou makes a nice rib

That rib is the 'secret' to that fly's effectiveness. Doesn't look like much when dry, but really 'pops' and looks like a real bug when wet.

kelly.