Typically, beginning in late April, when the days begin to warm up, an incredible event occurs that both the winter weary fly fisher and the hardened, lethargic animals below the waters surface wait for. The first hatches begin to come off the water. Mayflies dance their dance in the twilight and fall to the water to lay eggs and begin the cycle once again.
Plecoptera are an order of insects, commonly known as stoneflies. There are some 3,500 described species worldwide, with new species still being discovered. Stoneflies are found worldwide, except Antarctica. [nggalbum id=2 template=extend]
Mayflies or shadflies are insects belonging to the order Ephemeroptera (from the Greek εφημερος, ephemeros = “short-lived” (literally “lasting a day” “daily” or “day-long”), πτερον, pteron = “wing”, referring to the brief lifespan of adults). They have been placed into an ancient group of insects termed the Palaeoptera, which also contains dragonflies and damselflies. They are aquatic insects whose immature stage (called “naiad” or, colloquially, “nymph”) usually lasts one year in fresh water. The adults are short-lived, from a few minutes to a few days, depending on the species. About 2,500 species are known worldwide, including about 630 species in North America. [nggalbum id=3 template=extend]
The Grand River in southern Ontario is often boasted as being one of the best brown trout fly fishing rivers in Ontario. Many of us would beg to differ on that point, but it remains a very popular destination for fly fishers. The flow of the Grand River is regulated by the Shand Dam. There is an abundance of insect life that flows through this bottom draw dam year round, so the trout in the river are well fed.
Under the surface of the water is an entirely different universe than above. Down here is where much of the lives of important flies to fisherman begin. The nymphs, or larva are considered to be an imitation of any aquatic insect in a stream or lake, or on its way to the surface to hatch (emerging). Nymphs form a massive part of a trout’s diet, they are available year round, and that is the reason that so much focus is put on various techniques for nymphing for trout. High Stick Nymphing is an example of this. From what I’ve learned, there are two basic stages in which trout will actively be feeding on nymphs. Nymphs spend quite a long time
This simple hatch chart for the Upper Saugeen river is particularly useful for resident brown and brook trout fly fishing on the Saugeen river and its many tributaries.
One of the most abundant flies in Ontario is the Caddis fly. This fly goes through 3 basic stages in its life: Pupa, Larva and air borne fly. Caddis are very important to the fly fisher because they are a staple in nearly all species of fishes diets. Caddis Flies of Ontario Caddisflies or sedge-flies (Order Trichoptera, from Greek trich, “hair”, and ptera, “wings”) Caddis are small moth-like insects that have two pairs wings. They are closely related to Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) which have scales on their wings, and the two orders together form the superorder Amphiesmenoptera. Caddisflies have aquatic larvae and are found in a wide variety of habitats such as streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, spring seeps, and
The Upper Credit River is truly an anglers dream. Situated in southern Ontario, this stream holds resident populations of giant wild brown trout, as well as native brook trout populations. The river has special regulations throughout which makes it one of Ontario’s premiere trout fly fishing destinations. This is a simple but very useful hatch chart for the upper credit river. This chart outlines the main hatches, there are many more bugs that call this blue ribbon stream home!