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I read with some interest your recent column
concerning "Bug Latin." The butterfly incident
has long since slipped my mind, however, the
issue of Latin names is one of continual interest,
albeit not without its own degree of controversy.
Latin or scientific names are assigned to specific
species, and this creates an organized system of
classification. If such a system did not exist it
would be virtually impossible to know what specific
animal, insect, plant, etc. was being described. One
man's robin would be another man's red-breasted thrush.
Turdus migratorius [the Latin name for the common
American Robin] is a term that definitely tells
another person that, no matter what the common name,
if it is Turdus migratorius it is a robin.
In the early 60's when Jim [JC] and I first stumbled
into the world of 'hatch matching' we quickly
discovered that anglers wrote much of the information
that was available about trout flies and the fly
patterns that matched them. Unfortunately, they
used 'common names' to describe the insects they
were endeavoring to copy, and when we attempted
to decipher which insect they were describing we
discovered that it was virtually impossible. Thus
began our trip into the wonderful world of
scientific names. Fortunately or not, depending
on your point of view, I had a background in things
scientific, so when Jim and I began our particular
odyssey I had some idea where to start. It quickly
became apparent that it would not be an easy task
since this was prior to all the excellent books on
the subject that flooded the market in the late 60's
and early 70's. Matching the Hatch by
Ernest Schwiebert was the only book available that
even touched on this subject from a scientific angle.
The Hendrickson hatch is a famous hatch that
occurs in early spring on many eastern trout
waters, and it was one of the earliest hatches
that we attempted to understand. Regrettably
there are three species of mayfly that could
be a Hendrickson - Ephemerella subvaria, rotunda,
and invaria. In fact, some writers described a
Dark Hendrickson [E. subvaria] and a Light
Hendrickson [E. rotunda or invaria]. Our
research soon uncovered the fact that the
female imagos [spinners] fall to the water
first, and are preferred by the trout, and
the male imagos [spinners] fall later. Eureka,
this bit of knowledge allowed us to tie specific
flies, and to fish them more precisely. Our
ability to catch trout when this hatch was in
progress increased 100 fold. We had become
legends in our own times!
The upshot of this entire trivia is not to make
a case for 'Bug Latin,' but to remind us of the
value and the purpose behind the effort. Learning
more about the food that the fish [trout] eat made
us more informed and thus better anglers. We
ultimately applied this technique to all the hatches
that we encountered on the Au Sable River and
surrounding waters. It is likely that during
that period that we knew more about the mayfly
hatches on the upper Au Sable River than anyone
since we spent days collecting specimens, hours
studying them, keying them out, and tying imitations
for those that were important to the trout. We were
not scientists, but our interest was more than mere
curiosity. It's purpose was to help us explain what
the trout were eating, how they were eating it, and
thus to give us an edge over both over the trout and
other anglers. As knowledgeable anglers we were better
anglers.
Our corner on the 'Bug Latin' market did not last
long. Our friends Swisher and Richards soon hit
the market with their book Selective Trout, and
suddenly the floodgates were opened. Soon everyone
who could read was spouting Latin names for every
mayfly they picked up. This sudden quantum leap in
supposed knowledge was a source of amusement for
those of us who had some idea about the science
of identification. Merely holding the insect in
your hand cannot allow a person to positively
identify most mayflies, but budding angling
scientists would scoop up an insect and loudly
announce to their less knowledgeable companions
that it was an Ephemerella stupendous. This
promptly drew admiring glances from the less
informed, and silent snickers from the more
knowledgeable within earshot. More than once I
was tempted to ask if their vision was so good
that they could see if the intercalary veins of
the margin of the wing were single and not paired,
and if the CuA vein was connected to the margin
with a series of veinlets, which is the only way
to differentiate E. stupendous from E. ignoramus.
I demurred since it was obvious that their
authoritative pronouncement proved that they
were dealing with E. ignoramus, and I am not
referring to the mayfly!
Like bamboo rods, Hardy reels, and silk fly lines
'Bug Latin' was a means to an end and not an end
in itself. Sadly, speaking 'Bug Latin,' like
owning a bamboo rod, became a status symbol without
any real reference to anything that could be
remotely associated with the angling. Standing
in a stream, or in a crowd of lesser mortals
spouting Latin names, and regaling the fawning
multitudes with tales of ones angling prowess
became the purpose and the end. Many have thus
become a legend in their own mind, and that was
really the intended end.
The labor that Jim and I extended during those
days before 'Bug Latin' became the vogue is
unnecessary today. A few clicks of the mouse, or
a quick trip to the bookstore will provide the
budding scientific angler with all the answers
to their most baffling questions. We have hatch
charts for every major trout stream, and, except
for the egg, we have flies that are tied to
represent every stage of an aquatic insects
existence. If you get a fly rod you can be a
fly fisher too!
The LadyFisher related a story that occurred long
ago in a kingdom far, far away when we were much
younger, far more naïve, and perhaps better off
for it. Oh, and by the way, the blue butterfly
flitting through the Jack Pines was likely a
Spring Azure Blue [Celastrina ladon], but that
is a bit of trivia whose importance, like the
years, has faded into the dusk of time and space.
~ Neil M. Travis
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