Time for Terrestrials
by: Mike Lawson
Arriving at the stream to find the surface covered with mayflies, caddis or other aquatic insects, with dozens of trout rising, is about as good as it gets in fly fishing. I've seen the most experienced anglers fumble and tremble with anticipation at such a sight. The major drawback is these hatches can be of very short duration, especially when the weather is warm and dry. Often the dry fly angler is forced to change to nymph and streamer tactics when the bugs aren't hatching.
If you love dry fly fishing as much as I do, you should consider fishing terrestrial patterns. Ants, beetles, hoppers, crickets and other land-based insects are frequent visitors of spring creek waters. Once these terrestrials end up on the water, they are there to stay. No amount of struggling will free them from their eventual watery demise. Trout are accustomed to seeing these helpless insects on the surface.
Non-hatch Periods
Non-hatch periods are excellent times to fish terrestrials. Many trout streams have lots of clear, shallow water areas near the stream bank where its easy to locate large trout. I like to work upstream slowly, looking for fish. You have to train your eyes to look through the surface, not at it. Look for any unnatural movement that might give the location of a lunker trout away. These big trout have an excellent way of camouflaging themselves. Often a shadow or a tail showing along the weeds is all you'll see. When I find a good fish, I like to make an upstream presentation with a small terrestrial like an ant or a beetle. If you get the cast over the fish and it doesn't appear to show any interest, try giving the fly a slight twitch. Make sure to twitch the fly just as it enters the window of the trout's view. If you try to apply any action to the fly after it is fully in the field of vision, you'll risk spooking the fish.
I first discovered this tactic several years ago in New Zealand. Most New Zealand streams do not support concentrated hatches of aquatic insects. The method of preference is to walk upstream looking for fish. The trained eyes of a skilled Kiwi Guide can spot a large brown trout at 80 feet. It became a personal challenge to see if I could spot the trout before the New Zealander. Although I was seldom successful, I learned a valuable skill that has brought many happy returns on my home waters.
Water clarity, breezy conditions, undercuts, and deep pools can prohibit you from actually seeing your fish. Now you'll have to search the water, probing each likely looking spot. Such situations dictate the use of larger patterns like hoppers, crickets and large beetles.
Terrestrials During Hatches
Concentrated hatches of aquatic insects should not prohibit the use of terrestrial patterns. When I get frustrated trying to match a hatch, it doesn't take me long to switch to a beetle or an ant. I have confidence in those patterns because I know that trout see good numbers of terrestrial insects throughout the duration of the season.
Early one spring I was fishing a section of the Henry's Fork above my home in St. Anthony, Idaho. Like most western spring creeks, this water produces some extensive midge hatches and the trout can become very selective. This day they were particularly tough as I tried all of my favorite midge pupa patterns with only a small degree of success. I finally resorted to pumping the stomach of one of the only fish I managed to catch. I found the legions of midge pupa and emergers that I expected but I was amazed to also find a good number of small beetles. I couldn't believe there were beetles out and about so early in the year. You can guess the rest of the story. The next time out I had a field day with a size 20 black beetle.
Sometimes you may encounter "hatch-like" conditions when numbers of terrestrial insects arrive on the stream surface in large concentrations. If you have the right pattern, you'll probably encounter the kind of dry fly fishing you only read about but thought would never come.
Mating flights of flying ants, beetle infestations, or windy weather conditions can all land sufficient numbers of insects on the water to trigger a feeding frenzy. That's when you'll need the right pattern, just like when you encounter heavy hatches of aquatic insects.
Ants & Termites
The debate continues as to whether trout actually show a taste preference toward ants. I'm no expert with regard to the biological behavior of trout, but my experience dictates that trout do show a marked preference for ants when there are sufficient numbers of them on the surface. I have seen it too many times to believe otherwise. Last August I was fishing the flat water of the Harriman Park section of the Henry's Fork. The early morning hatch produced a good Trico spinner fall. About mid morning the larger Callibaetis spinners started showing up. I had taken a few fish and was confident as I stalked a trout with a rise form that indicated "The Big Tug". He was stationed about 20 feet out from the bank and was feeding steadily. I positioned myself about 30 feet outside of the fish and slightly upstream. Several good drifts over the fish with a Partridge Spinner produced no interest. I paused from my fishing and studied the fish. His rise forms had changed from the soft, sipping rises of a trout eating spinners. Now he was moving around and feeding with loud, slurping rises that indicated he was really starting to enjoy his work.
I focused on the surface close to me and saw what was creating all of the excitement. There were large, brown ant-like insects with dark grey wings all over the place. I'd seen them before and don't know whether they're actually flying ants or termites, but I know they drive fish crazy when they get on the water. I'd learned from past experience to not show up on the water during August without an ample supply of the big flying ant imitations in my fly box. I cut the tippet back to 4X and installed a size 12 dark mahogany flying ant.
Beetles
If I were forced to pick only one single dry fly pattern, without hesitation I would choose a black beetle. Even though I have seldom encountered situations where I knew that trout were actually feeding on beetles, I have probably caught more fish on their imitations than any other fly. When I encounter selective fish actively feeding on a mayfly hatch, I find myself wasting no time switching to a beetle after my mayfly patterns are turned down.
There are many excellent beetle patterns but my favorite is a black foam beetle. I used a standard dry fly hook with a wide band of flat foam pulled over an underbody of peacock herl. I wrap the materials down with heavy size A thread which I also use to make the legs. I have found thread to be much more durable than other materials for the legs. Beetles made from deer or elk hair are also good but aren't nearly as durable as the foam beetle.
Some anglers only fish beetles and other terrestrial patterns near the bank. Remember, beetles have wings and can fly well. They are as likely to end up in the middle of the stream as near the bank.
Years ago I fished with small beetle patterns almost exclusively. One year, when my wife, Sheralee, ordered flies for our shop, she made the mistake of ordering size 10 instead of size 20 beetles. We couldn't believe our eyes when the flies arrived and we saw the huge beetles. We didn't dare send the flies back because it was our mistake. I figured those giant beetles would never sell and we'd have them forever. One day Bob Kelly, who was guiding for us at the time, had an old gentlemen whose eyes were fading. He took a few of the big beetles for his trip to the Harriman Ranch. When they came back at the end of the day, they were very excited. Bob found a good fish that was rising steadily to Pale Morning Dun Mayflies. His client couldn't see the fly no matter what pattern they tried. He finally went to the big beetle and the trout slammed it the first cast. The fish measured well over 20 inches and Bob dubbed the size 10 Beetle, Sheralee's Mistake. They landed several more large rainbows before the day's end. The size 10 beetle bin was empty well before the season was over. Sheralee's Mistake has accounted for plenty of nice Henry's Fork Rainbows in the years since.
Hoppers & Crickets
Hoppers remain the favorite of all terrestrials. The best situation for hopper fishing is to drift the fly along an undercut grassy bank. Deep undercuts are ideal and offer your best opportunity to catch a real lunker on a dry fly. You'll be surprised, however, at how shallow the water can be and still conceal a large trout. You must cover each bank thoroughly as though there is a lunker under each bank. I once caught the largest brown of the day under a bank with water barely deep enough to cover it's back on Poindexter's Slough near Dillon, Montana. Just because fishing the grassy banks offers the best situation for hopper fishing, don't neglect the other areas of the stream. Like other terrestrial insects, hoppers can fly and they are likely to end up anywhere in the stream. I learned this lesson on the Henry's Fork years ago when I was younger and thought I knew all the answers. I was guiding a guy and we were fishing the Pale Morning Dun hatch. He couldn't see his fly and became very frustrated. I suggested he try a parachute pattern with a white wing when we found a nice rainbow that was rising steadily to the small, light colored mayflies. "I'd like to try a hopper", he said. "It will never work out here in the middle of the river", I replied, "but try it if you want." That's when I learned to never say never again. That fish acted like he'd been waiting all week for that hopper to float by.
The pattern you use is very important when fishing hoppers and crickets on spring creeks. Large, high-floating flies designed for visibility usually won't work very well. Natural grasshoppers float in the surface film, not on it, sort of like an iceberg. These days every good fly tier has his own hopper pattern so there are lots of good ones available. My favorite is still the one I developed almost 25 years ago, before there were so many other great patterns to choose from. Its called the Henry's Fork Hopper and incorporates the use of elk hair to form the bullet shaped head and segmented body. It floats low in the surface film exactly like a natural. I tie it in several color variations as well as a black cricket pattern. Another consideration with regard to fly pattern is the size of the fly. I believe small hoppers will be much more productive on spring creek waters than large ones. Size 12 is the most common size but you may need to go as small as size 16, especially if you are using crickets. We westerners still haven't caught on to the the effectiveness of small black crickets. Eastern anglers have long known how deadly a small black cricket can be on finicky, spring creek trout.
Although most trout are caught by blind fishing hoppers, I have witnessed occasions when trout were actively feeding on hoppers that were being blown into the water. Its called "the grasshopper wind" and if it happens when you are on the stream, its another one of those times when you should take time to be thankful you are on the stream. You might need to shorten up on your leader because it takes a pretty stiff breeze to blow the grasshoppers into the water. Keep your eyes up and down the bank for as far as you can see. A big trout makes a sizeable disturbance when he eats a hopper.
Cicadas are another extremely important terrestrial insect on many trout waters. Most notable is the Green River below Flaming Gorge in Utah. These fat insects can approach the size of a man's thumb. They live in the ground as larva for several years according to specie. One of the most common is the 17 year variety. When they emerge the flock to mate and many end up on the water where the trout gorge on them. I haven't seen many of them near our local waters but Cicada patterns really work. I guess its because they are just different enough that the big trout cant resist checking them out.
Other Terrestrial Insects
Any land-based insect that ends up in the water can be important to the spring creek angler. I have seen leaf hoppers, house flies, wasps, moths and spiders in samplings I've taken from trout stomach contents. I've even found cigarette butts for that matter. You have to decide which terrestrial patterns will best prepare you for the water you plan to fish. I have a close friend, whose name will remain anonymous, who ties a wasp pattern that looks so realistic that I'm afraid to touch it. Although I have never fished with a wasp fly, I always carry an assortment of small leafhoppers and jassids in my terrestrial box. Those tiny flies have scored with spring creek trout on several occasions.
Several patterns will match other insects in addition to the naturals they were tied to represent. An example is the black beetle. I've often seen good numbers of small, black spiders on the surface of the spring creeks that I fish. I don't know what type they are or how they get there but I do know that a black beetle is deadly when the black spiders show up. There are several types of insects that are black with a wide body including house flies, horse flies, etc that a black beetle will do an adequate job of imitating. One of my favorite streams is surrounded by large fir trees. I had great fishing one late summer morning and was packing up to leave after the mayfly hatches had ended. There were a few sporadic rises but without enough intensity to hold my interest. As I ate a Snickers bar on my way back to the car I noticed the rising was starting to escalate. I still couldn't see much on the water but I decided to hang around. Soon I realized that there were good numbers of large, light colored moths descending from the trees. Many of them were landing in the water and the trout were going for them. I looked in my box and thankfully I spotted a couple of size 10 light Elk Hair Caddis. The party was over when I snapped the last Elk Hair Caddis off on my back cast. Those trout were so zeroed in on those moths that they wouldn't even look at anything else. I later discovered that the large moths are locally called Spruce Moths and they only occur every few years in cycles. I have also found them on the Henry's Fork and the Madison.
I've known about the importance of terrestrials since I was a small boy, too young to fish alone. Early in the morning I would follow my grandpa in the meadows picking up the sluggish grasshoppers before the air temperature warmed enough for them to fly. I never forgot how effective it was to thread one on a light hook and drop it over an undercut bank. There is an excitement of a trout smashing a fat terrestrial that is seldom equaled in any other way. During mid summer, the fly box I keep most handy in my vest is the one that is filled with terrestrials.
