FLY FISHING FLY TYING | ENTOMOLOGY

Mayfly

Mayflies have upright wings as they enter adulthood. They have prominent tails and a curved body. Their life cycle is twenty four hours and flies are tied to mimic nearly every phase. They are very graceful and slow in flight unless they are in spinner phase where they often quickly dip down and fly up again. Patterns mimic the following stage(s): Nymph | Emerger | Dun | Spinner

Stonefly

Stoneflies have wings folded flat over their back as they enter adulthood. Two pronounced short tails make them noticeably different from caddisflies and mayflies. Wing case covers are also pronounced during their nymph phase. They are clumsy, slow, and erratic in flight. Patterns mimic the following stage(s): Nymph | Adult

Caddis (Sedge)

Adult caddisflies have wings folded to the side and look like a triangular tent when at rest. Their wings at rest make them noticeably different than other flies. They hover in flight and also often frantically skitter over the surface of the water. The caddis nymphs have cases they live in before adulthood. Patterns mimic the following stage(s): Larva | Pupa | Adult

Midge (True fly)

Midges look just like mosquitos but unlike the pesky bugs, midges don't bite. Midges are very small but are fed on often and many times offer a successful option when fish are not feeding on other flies. They should not be ignored and anglers should have both wet and dry patterns. Patterns mimic the following stage(s): Larva | Pupa | Adult

Damselfly

A damselfly nymph has a long, slender body with three, feathery tail-like gills which allow it to breath underwater. It moves through the water by sort of wriggling from side to side. The damselfly adult has a very long, slender abdomen and, when not flying, usually holds its long stiff wings together with tips touching over its back. Patterns mimic the following stage(s): Nymph | Adult

Ant

Flying ants are often blown onto the water and fed on. They are also carried uphill by warm air currents and blown onto the water (upslope blow-ins). In late summer and fall ants will be on leaves and in branches of streamside vegetation, looking for food. They live in dead trees by the streams, and lots of them drop into the water. Patterns mimic the following stage(s): Adult

Eggs

Trout, salmon, steelhead, and other fish species all eat eggs. They eat smaller eggs of whitefish, other trout species, and even the spawn of their own species. Eggs constitute some of winter's most reliable patterns and are widely available during the cold months because the spawning activities of many fish take place in late fall or early spring. They are often laid in areas of fine gravel, which are quickly disturbed during spates. When you use egg patterns, concentrate your efforts below riffles. While many anglers make a big deal about the ethics of fishing over a redd, there's nothing wrong with fishing downstream of redds. Patterns mimic the following stage(s): Egg

Mysis shrimp

Mysis shrimp live in more than 50 reservoirs across the Western U.S. and Canada, however, only three reservoirs have the depth, water temperature, and dam characteristics that result in large numbers of Mysis being swept into their associated tailwaters. All are in Colorado (Reudi Reservoir, Dillon Lake, and Taylor Reservoir). Mysis create massive trout in these tailwaters due to the high nutrient level of Mysis, the high fat content, the availability, and the ease of feeding on clumps of the dead or near-dead shrimp. Patterns mimic the following stage(s): Adult

Leech

Leeches are most active during the morning or evening hours. However, a well place leech pattern will be taken by an opportunistic fish. Wooly buggers are used with success throughout all times and all seasons. Chironomids (leeches) are a staple food for stillwater fish but are also fed on in mountain lakes and streams. Patterns mimic the following stage(s): Adult

Crayfish

Crayfish molt several times a year, and when they do, they are vulnerable to fish. They shed their hard exoskeletons as they grow leaving them defenseless with soft shells. They are aggressively eaten by fish simply because it is less work and a large meal. A soft-shell crayfish is lighter in color than one with a hard shell, so fish patterns that are lighter in color than the crayfish you see to imitate this vulnerable stage. Patterns mimic the following stage(s): Molting young and adult

Beetle

Beetles are fed on by when they incidentally fall into the water. They are very important in late summer and fall. There are no specific life cycle habits or hatches which toss beetles into the water in great numbers. They are abundant and fed on frequently so have patterns in your box. Patterns mimic the following stage(s): Adult

Grasshopper

Grasshoppers (hoppers) are often blown off grass and bushes and into lakes and streams in summer and fall. The patterns are large dry flies that require no soft, subtle presentation. Patterns mimic the following stage(s): Adult

Sow bug

Sowbugs are are flattened top to bottom and have seven pairs of legs. Their legs are used to crawl along weed growth. Sowbugs most often have a gray back with lighter colored legs and belly. Sowbugs can flourish in slow, unpolluted tailwaters, springs, creeks, and small ponds. Patterns mimic the following stage(s): Adult

Scud

Scuds are distant cousins to the crayfish, sowbugs and shrimp. Many anglers refer to them as shrimp but they are not. Scuds have a hard, segmented exoskeleton and 7 pairs of legs underneath the body. The front 2 pairs of legs are for grasping vegetation. The other legs enable scuds to swim. They commonly move in an erratic and random manner. Located between the various pairs of legs are their gills. Scuds spend their entire life beneath the water's surface. Patterns mimic the following stage(s): Adult

Tubifex worm (San Juan worm)

Tubifex worms wiggle as they floats through the water. They usually crawl through silty bottom or on the rocky bottom of rivers. The worms live in the moss and silt and feed on decaying organic matter. Aquatic worms can live underwater without any oxygen (unlike typical earthworms). Patterns mimic the following stage(s): Adult

Cricket

Crickets are often blown off grass and bushes and into lakes and streams in summer and fall. The patterns are large dry flies that require no soft, subtle presentation. Patterns mimic the following stage(s): Adult

Minnow

Minnows are smaller, younger fish that are easily and often fed upon. Patterns mimic the following stage(s): Youth

Sculpin

Sculpins are smaller, younger fish that are easily and often fed upon. Patterns mimic the following stage(s): Youth and adult

Mouse

Field mice spend their summers on the banks of rivers and lakes and are often blown onto the water by a gust of wind or a slip of foot. They also swim across the bodies of water. The swim quickly and frantically and are often devoured by predatory fish. Patterns mimic the following stage(s): Adult

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