I was just wondering how many here have actually gone to their waters and collected insects for the benefit of either tying better flys and having a better understanding of what they were tying or just learning what species were on the water? I would think their are many who fly fish that rely on knowledge already available. Am I wrong in this presumption?
Just curious
Steve
Yes !!! For the hatches that I fish most regularly…I photograph with the macro setting on my camera…also for such things as Crayfish,Minnows…basically anything I want to produce a fly pattern that is more to my own liking…as did…and or do many fishermen…
“I’ve often wondered why it is that so many anglers spend so much money on,and pay so much attention to.the details on the wrong end of the fly line.If they took as much care in selecting or tying their flies as they did in the selection of the reel and rod,They might be able to gain the real extra edge that makes it possible to fool a fish that has,in fact,seen it all before” A.K.Best
Everyone wants to excel in this sport but at the same time we let traditionalists place restrictions on our tactics, methods, and ideas. I always assumed that fly fishing was a sport that allowed imagination, creation, adaptation, investigation, dedication, education, revelation? : Fox Statler, On Spinners (Not the dainty Dry Fly kind) “Spinner’d Minner Fly”
“Wish ya great fishing”
Bill
rookie,
I’ve caught a few insects, observed them in my hand (probably would have taken photos if I carried a camera which I don’t often do, and then released them.
May I suggest one thing: That is, make sure it’s legal to take specimens out of the river. Here in NY it is illegal to take insects from water in which there are trout. Carries a stiff fine.
Allan
Thanks tyeflies. That would have been the farthest thing from my mind. I guess I had better check my own states regs to see if something like that exists here.
Thanks
Steve (Rookie)
Yes. Turning over rocks by the bank is a good way to tell what’s available, as well as using a net or seine. I don’t keep specimens in vials, or anything like that, but I’ve been at it long enough on my home waters, to know pretty well what’s available, and when. When the stonefly nymphs are gone from under the rocks, and the exoskeletons are dry, and hanging on the willows, you know the hatch has come and gone.
Lew
While I don’t call it collecting . I observe
and turn over rocks. My home waters when I lived in Denver were dominated by caddis.I used caddis pupa and lava patterns most of the time with great success. Add a cranefly lava and baetis( bluewing olive) nymphs and i was good to go for most rivers with in an afternoon’s driving distance.
Now I live in Oklahoma. A walk around any pond and you will find dozens of crayfish remains that raccons have caught in the waters edge.Accordingly it seems all the dfferents species in the pond can be caught with the right sized crayfish fly (bass,crappie bluegill catfish carp). We also use streamers because most of these fish also eat other fish.
I’ve learned a lot by plucking bugs off the water as they drift by; turning over rocks in streams; etc. I don’t bring the bugs home usually.
I do have a couple pictures of the more interesting stuff:
[url=http://thwack.smugmug.com/photos/61985212-L.jpg:32f10]underwater nymphs on rocks[/url:32f10]
[url=http://thwack.smugmug.com/photos/58156329-L.jpg:32f10]hexegenia mayfly[/url:32f10]
I need to take some pics this summer of duns and spinners on my favorite river.
The only thing I’ve kept was a weird stone fly nymph (at least I think it’s a stone fly). The color pattern isn’t like anything I can recall seeing online. There are yellow stripes running the length of the nymph’s abdomen. I kept the nymph (which was mangled and dead already) to see if I can identify it some day.
My guess is that about 90 percent of the stream’s in this country have already been checked for the insects that they hold. You can get hatch charts from many of the local fly shops.
In times past people needed to check the water and the bugs but now it is all done for you. With the hatch charts they have out today you can just about know what hour and day a fly will appear. The only thing that will change those dates is the weather. So go on line or to your local shop’s and get a hactch chart. Saves the stream from being beat on and makes it easy on you to. You can find pictures of all the flies that will be on those chart’s on the internet and the recipes on how to tie them to. 
Ron
I like to collect samples and take them home with me, I think you get to know the stream better and feel it helps with your fly tying.
Ron while I agree that the hatch charts work well and is a good place to start I only use them as a guide. I’ve seen hatch charts that listed certain species in streams that I have rarely or never seen and certain species I find are not listed on the chart.
On a slightly different note I feel hands on experience is better than any book that’s out there. Don’t misunderstand me I love books and a good book is a great learning tool but it should not be used as a replacement for on stream experience. Listen to what people say and read what they write but don’t just believe it because they say so, go out and check it out yourself.
Turk
First, I would like to thank those that have replied, posted pictures and advise given.
Turk, I agree with what you say. When I have a hands on experience and do the leg work myself, it stays implanted with me much better. I am one of those people that can read very well, I just can’t seem to remember what I’ve read. I have another post requesting identification of a fly. If I had not brought it home and looked at at under magnification (16x) I would not have seen the characteristics of it. My daughter gave me some 10cc centrifuge tubes that have a vaccum seal. I can look through these under magnification and never have to remove the seal.
Thank you everyone for your help.
Steve (Rookie)
Volunteer for a stream survey if you get a chance. You’ll also see how an insect color changes in different parts of the stream, among other things.
When I can manage to catch one, I will usually check out a may fly and try to identify it using the Caucci/Nastasi mayfly identifacation guide. Admittedly, I don’t go as far with caddis. Mostly because they are saddled only with boring, scientific names. If I see a #16 caddis with a gray body, then I might tie on a #16 caddis with a gray body. That’s about as far as I take it with caddis.
Turk- Been at this for a while and I have found that there are a heck of a lot better people at collecting flies on stream’s than I am. I have also found that there are not many streams that have not been figured out right down to the type of moss in them. There are a lot of people that have done this type of work for a lot of years and know what, when and were it will all go on.
Having guided for about 40 years and spending about 110 or better days on streams, spring creeks, tailwaters and lakes I still say that you can get hatch charts that list every fly coming off in a given stream or lake now days.
If you want to go out and dig up bugs out of a stream have at it. I did it in years past and figured out that is was more a waste of my time than it helped as I could get the information in much easier ways and spend my time fishing not collecting. But have at it if that is what you like to do. Ron
PS: I had an aquarium many years ago that I use to put the flies in so they could hatch. Had one of the best Green Drake hatches you ever seen in the family room. My wife didn’t think to much of it as they were all over the house. LOL Had a Sculpin in the tank for a log time. He use to eat hambugger. I called him George. When he died I got ride of the tank. We still get all types of flies on the outside house lights at night and sometimes during the day to. I live very close to a good Trout river.
Ab
Things such as color variations differ from stream to stream in my experience,at times Greatly.
Hatch chart’s are a good general guide, But to truly match the insect’s in any given body of water you need to do some degree of leg work.
The Sulphur’s on Penn’s differ greatly to those I find on other streams…the same is especially true of stone flies…
[This message has been edited by billknepp (edited 16 April 2006).]
Ron I guess my main point is that I feel alot of people are too reliant on other peoples findings or observations and don’t do a lot of figuring out on there own. Thats fine if thats what you want to do but what do you do when your on a stream and things happen that you didn’t expect? The person who has done their own homework and figured things out for themselves in the past will have a much better chance of figuring out a solution than the person who has relied on someone elses findings. Also the hatch charts don’t specifically cover some of the streams I fish and if you went by a general hatch chart for the area you would waste a lot of time tying flies that you don’t even need so that kinda evens out the time you feel that is wasted taking stream samples. Another good point was made by Bill in that the colors vary from stream to stream. I have 5 dubbing blends that all say sulpur yellow on them and yet they are all different shades of yellow, the hatch charts don’t tell you wich shade to use (the importance of color is another lengthy discussion in itself). In the end I feel that people who rely on themselves for the answers will eventually be the better anglers. I understand if people don’t have the time or the desire to do the reserch themselves but thats the good thing about flyfishing or just fishing in general is that you can take it to any level you want.
Turk
