One of the most effective yet least used tools
for matching the hatch is something called an
entomology kit. I'm not sure why this tool gets
so little use, but I am sure it could improve the
catch rate of anyone who used it to see what insects
are active in the water. The complex task of
guessing what fly would be effective, can be
reduced to simply matching the contents of a net
with the right fly. It works very well. Well,
at least it works for those who are willing to
try it.
Those pictures of aquatic nymphs and larvae you
see in magazines and books almost always start
with an entomology kit that is used to capture
the critters for identification. Once the insects
are captured, they can be photographed, measured,
compared to the contents of a fly box and then
released or preserved for future observation.
It only takes the right tools and the willingness
to use them. You simply hold the net in the water
and wait for insects to drift into it, or you have
someone stir the bottom directly upstream from the
net. Then all you have to do is observe the contents
of the net and match them to flies in your box.
A company called Wind River manufactures one of the
easiest to use, and best built entomology kits I have
had the pleasure to use. It comes in a kit bag stuffed
with the following:
1 - nylon insect net with break-down poles
1 - thermometer
1 - plastic dish with lid to hold insects
for observation
1 - magnifying glass
1 - book on insect identification (nice line
drawings of insects too)
3 - bottles for insect storage
1 - tweezers for insect capture to the observation
dish or storage bottles
The center of the net has a white "bulls eye" to make
insect observation and photography easier. If properly
cared for, the kit should last a lifetime, and the
information it reveals to its user should improve the
hatch-matching abilities of that user for a lifetime.
At a planned cost of roughly $60 retail, it seems a bit
steep in price, but I have seen others similar to this
one that cost over $100. You could make your own kit
and probably save a few bucks, or you could buy the
parts individually, but that would probably cost you
more than the kit. Either way, your fishing will
improve when you start observing what is in the water
that you can't see on the surface. It sure beats
guessing what the fish are eating, and the price of
the kit will be quickly balanced out by the instant
information you'll be getting on the stream.
If you are a retailer, you can obtain this kit by
contacting Wind River at:
Wind River
(company contact person is: Jim Siegle - siegles@chaffee.net)
5610 County Road 1
Erie, CO 80516
Ph: (303) 652-0648
Fax: (303) 652-0653
Or you can visit them on the web at www.windrivergear.com.
If you are a consumer and your favorite fly shop doesn't
plan to sell this kit, ask them to get one for you.
Your catch rate will improve if you do. ~ Al Campbell
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