Eye of the Guide

CALLIBAETIS

Tom Travis - September 13, 2010

According to Mayflies of the World, A catalog of the Family and Genus Group Taxa, (Insecta: Ephemeroptera) By Michael D. Hubbard, published in 1990,  Callibaetis are found in both North & South America.

Order Ephemeroptera
Family Baetidae
Genus Callibaetis
Species nigrius
coloradensis
fluctuans
pretiosus

Mayflies, published in 1997 by Malcolm Knopp and Robert Cormier, tell us that the Callibaetis genus remains but the species have been renamed. But for the purposes of the paper the old name will better serve. My first involvement with Callibaetis came early in my fishing career in Colorado. At the time my library was much more limited than it is today. However, one book that I did have was Matching the Hatch, by Ernest G. Schwiebert, which was published in 1955. Later I referred to Nymphs, published in 1973 by the same author. As my fishing career continued I found out just how important the Callibaetis species can be and I found out that if you don’t have the proper patterns and if you don’t know how to properly present them, you can be in big trouble. 

Callibaetis species are multi-brood insects, meaning that they produce many broods per year. They are slender, tapered, streamlined bodies, with three tails and a pronounced hump in the thorax. Callibaetis are classed as active swimming nymphs and are often described as a clambering nymph. Both the nymphs and the duns tend to take on the colors of the environment that they inhabit and may vary from area to area. The common name for these mayflies is Speckled Dun!

Callibaetis species inhabit lakes, ponds and slow moving streams, which contain weed beds. Two to three hours prior to emergence, nymphs should be fished along rocks, bottoms, ledges and weed beds. At this point the nymphs should be fished deep. Retrieves should be 6 to 10 inch darts with a quick hand twist retrieve. Approximately one hour prior to the actual emergence the nymphs will start swimming back & forth from the weed beds and the surface. This action should be noted as it is very unusual. The other reason that it should be noted is that the angler can take advantage of this action. Fish a weighted nymph with a hand twist figure eight while raising the rod tip and then dropping it.

During the actual emergence the imitations are just under or awash and floating in the film. Not all of the nymphs make it all the way to the surface before hatching. Many of the insects will hatch out three to six inches under the surface. Callibaetis hatches always have a large number of cripples and stillborns.  The hatching off the water will depend on the temperature and humidity. Early season Callibaetis tend to be larger size 13’s to 14’s.

Later in the season they are smaller being size 16 and 18. In North America, the Callibaetis Spinners are late morning to mid-day fall, with the actual emergence taking place during the mid-morning. However, it should be noted that I have recorded many Callibaetis spinner falls that have taken place in the late evenings.

As with other Mayfly Hatches, the best and heaviest hatches will occur on cooler damp days where the duns stay on the water for long periods. The angler needs knowledge of both the hatch and the trout that feed on them. This information can be obtained through observation, sampling the water to be fished for insects and by using a stomach pump on the trout we catch. The stomach pump can help the angler solve a lot of problems. Because the information you obtain from a trout and a stomach pump is information that comes straight from the trout’s month, so to speak!!

Hatches can also occur on inflow and outflow of lakes. Therefore you can find hatches on water that doesn’t typically have Callibaetis hatches. In calm water the nymphs will often perch on the stalks of vegetation. Often trout can be seen cruising the edges of the weed beds picking off the nymphs. Remember the Callibaetis are known for getting stuck in the shuck during the emergence. Another interesting point is that the male spinners have clear wings and the female have mottled wings. The nymphs have three tails but the duns and spinners only have two. Prior to the actual hatch the trout will key on the active swimming nymph. Use a dun or emerger with a nymph 12 to 18 inches dropped behind the floating fly. This tandem can be deadly! If the hatch is scattered then nymphs and emergers throughout the hatch is the way to go.

Tips on Stillwaters: In wind stirred opaque lakes, light will reach about 15 feet. In clear lake’s the light can reach up to 25 feet. This information will tell you the deepest you will have to present the imitations.

During spinner falls a spent pattern with a soft hackle 12 to 18 inches behind is a deadly combination.

The patterns that I have listed are the ones that I have developed for fishing in North America.

1. Callibaetis Para-Nymph

2. Callibaetis Hackled Floating Nymphs

3. Callibaetis Para-Surface Emerger/Spinner

4. Callibaetis Spent Adults

Note: This pattern might look a little plump but it should. Remember this is a hatching dun that is stuck in the shuck and would be normally plump, as most stillborns or cripples tend to be.

5. Callibaetis Male Spinner

Note: Many anglers do not realize that in any spinner fall there are 20 male spinners for each female spinner found on the water. With Callibaetis Spinners, the females have the mottled wings and the spinner wings on the males are clear.

6. Callibaetis Para-Dun

7. Callibaetis Shuck Trailing Thorax Dun

8. Callibaetis Extended Body Para-Dun

Note: At first glance, this pattern seems too large, but if you set it next to the other imitations of equal size, you will see that the patterns are equally sized.

9. Callibaetis Mottled Wing Spinners

10. Para-Callibaetis Nymph

11. Callibaetis Flymph (Emerger)

12. Callibaetis Nymph    Weighted

13. Callibaetis Soft Hackle

ARGENTINA OLIVES

These patterns were developed for the South American Rivers found in the San Martine area. The rivers listed are: Malleo, Chimehein, Collow Cura, Pulmari, Rio Alumine, Traful, Quillen and the Filo Hua Hum. Hope I got the spelling right! These are designed for more than likely a Baetis species. 

These patterns were designed for John Ebeling, Ken Cooley, Ken Taylor and Barry Beck.

1. Parachute Gray/Olive Surface Emerger/Spinner

2. Para-Dun Olive

3. Extended Body Olive Para-Dun    (This pattern is for the over 50 Anglers)

4. Hackled Emerging Nymph, Gray Olive

5. Extended Body Captive Dun, Gray/Olive

Note: This is a pattern for 2009. 

6. Gray/Olive Para-Nymph

7. Olive Soft Hackle

SPECIAL ARGENTINA STREAMER

 

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