Stillwater Slim on the Line... July 13, 2010

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Matching the Hatch in Nova Scotia

What a tourist terms a plague of insects, the fly-fisher calls a great hatch ... Patrick F. McManus

Pat Donoghue’s wonderful site http://users.eastlink.ca/~dryfly/hatch.htm features a chart he created to help Nova Scotia trouters in their sport.

Hatches of Nova Scotia

Fly Pattern

April

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep.

Size

Habitat

Time

Alternative Patterns & comments

Early Black Stonefly

16/18

Riffle

All day

Spring stone

Early Brown Stonefly

Moderate

Morning

Black Quill (1)

12/14

Riffle

Midday

Blue Upright, Quill Gordon, Black Gnat

Tiny Black Caddis

Riffle

All day

Hendrickson

12/14

Riffle

Afternoon

Red Quill, Lady Beaverkill

Dark Hendrickson

12/14

Riffle

Afternoon

Red Quill

Little Marryatt

14/18

Riffle

Afternoon

Sulphur Dun, Pale Watery Dun, Light Hendrickson

Black Caddis

16/18

All

Midday

Dragonfly nymph (2)

10 (3x)

All

Midday

Blades dragonfly nymph, Superfly brown dragon nymph

Damselfly nymph (2)

10 (3x)

All

Midday

Dave's Damsel, Marabou Damsel

Blue Winged Olive (3)

14/16

Moderate

Midday

Elk Hair Caddis (4)

14/18

All

All day

Cinnamon Caddis, Little Olive Caddis (Little sister sedge)

Green Sedge

14/18

Riffle

Afternoon

Green rock worm

March Brown

10/12

Riffle

Afternoon

Grey Fox

12/14

Riffle

Afternoon

Light Cahill

Light Cahill (5)

12/14

All

Evening

Grey Fox

Little Green Stonefly

All

Afternoon

Yellow Sally Stonefly

All

Afternoon

Litobrancha sp (8)

10 (3x)

Slow

Evening

Great green drake

Dobsonfly (6)

8 (3x)

All

Evening

Reg's Hellgrammite Nymph

Golden Stone

8/10

All

Evening

Cranefly (7)

8-12

Slow

Midday

Spiders and variants

Slate Winged Olive

14/16

Moderate

Afternoon

Tiny blue winged olive

22/24

Moderate

Afternoon

Mahogany Dun

Riffle

Afternoon

Cahill Quill, Light Blue Quill, Housatonic Quill

Trico

22/26

Slow

Morning

Black or white body

Terrestrials

8/18

All

All day

Ants and hoppers

Hexagenia sp. (8)

10 (3x)

Lake

Evening

Hexagenia paradun, Michigan mayfly

Fly Pattern

April

May

June

July

Aug.

Sep.

Size

Habitat

Time

Alternative Patterns & comments

Pat’s website also has notes and comments that provide more information. Notice in the chart that caddis flies, in various colors and sizes, are generally hatching from June through September, making it a very useful “match the hatch” type of fly.

The most popular adult caddis imitation, a dry fly, is the Elk Hair Caddis. This pattern was designed by Pennsylvanian, Al Troth, devised to fish the caddis hatches in Montana. It first came to public attention in The FlyTyer Quarterly, 1978, though he'd been tying it for some time by then. While all its component parts, including the hair wing, can be seen in earlier patterns, it was Troth who came up with this unique design to imitate an adult caddis.

Elk Hair Caddis

Thread: UTC G.S.P. 50 Denier thread

Hook: Mustad 94840 size 8 - 16

Rib: Gold wire

Body hackle: Brown cock saddle or neck

Body: Olive or orange Ice Dub

Wing: Elk body hair clipped just in front of the head

Head: Thread finished with glossy head cement

Please stay on the line …