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Trouting 2012

 

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 posted 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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14

Moderate

Morning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Black Quill (1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12/14

Riffle

Midday

Blue Upright, Quill Gordon, Black Gnat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tiny Black Caddis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16

All

Afternoon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yellow Sally Stonefly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16

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

Most of our early fishing is sub-surface, but should we happen to see trout surface feeding in April, before the mayfy hatch, it’s likely the early black stone fly they are taking. A very small, long & slim fly, it is imitated by this little dry fly. Length is about ½ inch (a size 14 Mustad 9671hook).

SpringStone.jpg

RMAd2010JPG.jpg

Spring Stone

Thread:                6/0 Black UniThread

Hook:                   Mustad 9671 2XL Hook – Sizes 14 - 18

Body:                   Black dubbing

Wing:                   Black-tipped hair from a coyote’s back

Hackle:                3-4 wraps of a black cock hackle

Head:                   Black thread finished with 2 coats of head cement.

 

Please send comments and suggestions to:

 slim@rivermagic.ca

 

Please stay on the line …