Now for Something Completely Different

Most of you who follow my blog know that I am a firm believer in matching the hatch. While I do feel that fishing flies that imitate the bugs the fish are feeding on, or at least have formed a search image for, is the best approach, there are times when the fun factor of working an aggressive attractor pattern is hard to resist. Often that involves working a streamer along under-cut banks and log jams - the takes can be arm jarring and it usually results in some good sized brown trout.

Another strategy I have adopted over the years is to work a frog pattern very tight those same edges. Yup, you read right - a frog pattern.

For this I use a floating line (usually 6 or 7 weight) and a 8 - 9' leader with 2X to 0X tippet depending on the conditions. This setup works well especially when the water is clear and the fish are less inclined to move far from their hidey hole, or late in the evening as the light fades. I make my cast as far up stream as possible and allow the frog to float down ahead of the line to where I think a fish might be holding (the closer to the structure the better). A few twitches of the frog usually results in a spectacular take. This approach allows you to get you fly into the zone with minimal disturbance.

My pattern of choice for this is a Phelps Frog.

Phelps Frog

This one is quick and easy to tie - takes about 2 minutes per fly. The bodies can be purchased at most tackle shops that sell walleye rigging. They come in a few different sizes and colors; I prefer the big green ones with the yellow belly but I'm sure color is not critical (although the glow in the dark ones seem to work best in low light). For the legs I use 3 strands of rubber hackle (SuperFly yellow/black, or color to match) and tie a knot near the transition to yellow at either end. Trim the yellow so just a centimeter or so is left for the feet. Center the black portion on the hook, tie in with a good number of figure eights (adjusting the leg positions as you add more wraps), and whip finish.

This kind of fishing is nothing but fun. Hang on to your rod tight and be prepared to turn the fish before it has a chance to head for cover.

A Case for the Cased Caddis

When it comes to imitating the different life stages of the caddisfly there is no question that the pupa and the adult garner the most attention from both trout and fly anglers. We are certainly quick to notice the pupal shucks floating on the water, the many adults fluttering over the water’s surface, and the slashing rises of feeding trout. These two life stages seem to expose caddisflies to feeding trout more so than the larval stage. The cryptic larvae – those that build cases out of bits of vegetation or sand, and the trout that feed on them, often go unnoticed.

Although cased caddis larvae rely on camouflage and subterfuge to protect them from predators, trout learn to recognize which bits of apparent vegetation and debris are food and which bits are a waste of time. Many feeding studies have shown that trout do opportunistically consume cased caddis larvae – especially when populations are high enough that the trout develop a search image for them. I don’t carry a lot of cased caddis larva patterns but the ones I do carry have served me well over the years. Here are a few of the patterns I was working on this past week.

My top pick for lake fishing is my Phryganea larva. Many species in this genus build their cases out of a series of cut pieces of aquatic vegetation carefully arranged in a spiral pattern. The case is constantly being added to as the larva grows making the case varying shades of green. The larva and case can be ¾” - 1” long.

To tie this pattern I build up a slender under-body of yarn. Several sections of light and dark green turkey quill are tied in facing forward – these are then folded back and secured with fine silver wire. A ball of gray or cream dubbing at the front represents the larva as it reaches out of the case for something to grab hold of. The best way to fish this pattern is to suspend it under a strike indicator just above submerged weed shoals (especially late in the evening), or right along the weed edge adjacent to deeper water.

For caddis larva in streams that build their cases out of sand or small pebbles I like to use something like this:

Here I build up an under-body of yarn and then work in some 5 minute epoxy. Just as the glue becomes tacky (but not too stiff) I roll it in clean, coarse sand (usually darker sifted sand and pebbles from a trout stream). Gently "massage" the sand into the glue so it sticks well and maintains the desired shape. The head and legs of the larva are imitated with a ball of gray or light brown dubbing. As to size, ¾ of an inch long is about right. Drift this one just as you would any other nymph.

During a hatch feel free to reach for your favorite emerger or adult caddis pattern. But if there is no discernible hatch activity, and you are observant enough to note a good population of cased larvae on your favorite stream or lake, a cased caddis pattern can be the ticket to a great day on the water.