Caddis Patterns: Deer Hair or Cow Elk Hair?

[NJTroutbum]

Thats about it in a nutshell. I've never identified Caddis shucks in the water, but I have found them seining tailouts.

[Bruce Norikane]

I'll try that. Someone else can correct me if I'm wrong.

The stonefly "hatches" after crawling out of the water onto land. It is huge, and leaves its exoskeleton on the land. On rocks or tree branches.

Most mayflies hatch at the surface of the water. They are small, and the shucks they abandon on the water are tiny and nearly transparent and are hard to see on moving water. The Gray Drake is one mayfly that hatches on the land rather than ascending to the surface to hatch.

Caddis also hatch at the surface of the water. Their shucks are also hard to see on the surface of the water. If you carefully capture material on the water's surface with a fine mesh screen, you will see tiny bits of transparent "skin" from such abandoned shucks.

Thanks Byron and Ralph. That matches my observations.

Stonefly shells are the easiest to spot. I have to look carefully to see the midge and mayfly shucks, but, during a hatch, I can always find them in eddies. Sometimes, the shucks are still attached to an adult cripple.

I'll have to look more closely at seine samples during caddis hatches. Unfortunately, around here caddis come off more sporadically during the day. Rarely see a concentrated hatch.

[Byron haugh]

Bruce,
Lots of folks mistake the return of females to lay their eggs for a hatch. They see the swarming/mating and the females on the water and assume it is a hatch. It is what I call the "reverse hatch".

[Bruce Norikane]

Bruce,
Lots of folks mistake the return of females to lay their eggs for a hatch. They see the swarming/mating and the females on the water and assume it is a hatch. It is what I call the "reverse hatch".

Yes! I'm familiar with that deception. To make things harder,the returning caddis adults and emerging pupa sometimes overlap. Summer evenings you can spot both at the same time.

[Byron haugh]

Exactly! Understanding insects and their behavior is one more tool in the fly fishers' quiver.

[Chuck441]

Bruce,
Lots of folks mistake the return of females to lay their eggs for a hatch. They see the swarming/mating and the females on the water and assume it is a hatch. It is what I call the "reverse hatch".

Off subject a bit, but I've found a diving caddis pattern to be very effective during the swarms. I always incorporate some zelon or similar material into the wing.

Chuck

[Jeremy]

Sure glad this stuff's not simple otherwise it just wouldn't be so much fun!

That is all!