As I arrived on the river last night, I saw a few Caddis fluttering about. I had tried this spot recently and felt the time would be better spent after the sun moved behind the trees and the shadows covered a stretch of water forty yards long and twenty yards wide, gliding between the grassy shoreline and a rolling riffle. I sat smoking my briar, studied the water and decided to study the vegetation a few feet away. It was around 6pm.

Turbo Insectology (PMD & Friends) SwittersB

This is a good practice, as beneficial as turning over rocks in the stream or seining a stretch of water to identify how bugs look…color and size. Notice the pic above…the Pale Morning Dun in transition to Spinner.

I moved out to fish, once I noticed a few rises and that the shade had hit the water. A fly fisher arrived behind me and remarked about the hatch behind me, near the shore. I noticed mayflies bobbing up and down near the grassy shoreline. I waded over to talk and observe.

What was evident all around was  multiple events of insect activity: a few Yellow Sallies, a black micro Caddis, a larger tan Caddis, a smaller mayfly hatching with several gliding down the stream, wings upright. And, the bobbing mayflies, yellowish-tan in color. Beneath them spent mayflies, clear winged, on the surface like ditched airplanes…wings outspread. A spinner fall.

I looked downstream and looked for additional activity. With all the activity, I looked for some form of sips, slashes, slurps or boils. Reality check. Perfect conditions. Multiple hatches. Only a few visible signs of fish and they came quickly to an emerger pattern.

SwittersB Made in the Shade

Still a pleasant evening and another puzzle approached, but there seemed pieces missing to what I anticipated being an easy puzzle to piece together.