The Caddis Hatches of North America
Order Tricoptera
Gary LaFontaine was puzzled by all the trout feeding activity around him and not being able to catch them. So, he donned SCUBA gear and went under to have a look. About ten years later he came up and wrote his book Caddisflies which has been a revelation to serious students of the art of flyfishing as well as the flyfisher that just wants to catch more trout.
The following information is only a brief outline of some of the materials presented by that book.
Entomologists have grouped Caddis species by type of case. This is important to the flyfisher as it provide clues as to the identification, habitat and behavior of the caddis encountered on trout streams. The following listing includes the 'family/genus/species' of the groups relevant to trout fishing.
The Net Spinners
Hydropsyche
ceratopsyche/bronta
ceratopsyche/sparna
ceratopsyche/morosa
cheumatopsyche/harwoodi
cheumatopsyche/pettiti
macronema/zebratum
Polycentropodidae
nyctiophylax/moestus
polycentropus/cinereus
psychomyia/flavida
Philopotamidae
chimarra/aterrima
Psychomiidae
Free Living
Rhyacophilidae
rhyacohphilia/fuscula
Saddle Case Maker
Golossomatidae
glossosoma/nigrior
Purse Case Maker
Hydroptilidae
hydroptila/hamata
Tube Case Makers
- Brachycentridae
- brachycentrus/numerosus
- Odontoceridae
- psilotreta/labida
- Leptoceridae
- mysticides/sepulchralis
- oecetis/inconspicua
- ceraculea/transversa
Limnephilidae
apatania/incerta
limnephilus/submonilifer
hydatophylax/argus
pycnopsyche/guttifer
frenesia/missa
Lepidostomatidae
lepidostoma/vernalis
Phryganeidae
Beraeidae
Sericostomatidae
Molannidae
Calamoceridae
Helicopsychidae
Imitating the life stages of the Caddisfly
Larval
Caddis spend most of their lives as larvae on the streambed feeding and growing through their instars. While generally well hidden, they become trout food regularly by accidental dislodgement or by the behavioral drift of some species. Trout may spend 75% of their feeding time picking insects from the drift much of which is devoted to caddis larvae. There are good flies available that imitate the cased and the free living caddis larvae.
Caddis Pupae
Two to Three weeks before emerging the larva goes into the pupal stage where it transforms into an adult. After leaving the case the adult caddis, still enclosed by the pupal sheath, goes through two distinct periods of hesitation on its way to the surface.
- First Hesitation:
- Leaves the cocoon and drifts with the bottom currents while gas fills the pupal sheath. When sufficient bouancy is achieved, the caddis begins its ascent to the underside of the meniscus.
- Second Hesitation:
- Just under the surface the caddis again drifts for some distance as it struggles to break through the meniscus and to escape from the pupal sheath.
Trout feed heavily on the caddis at these two periods of drift, thereby providing excellent opportunity for the informed fly fisher.
LaFontaine Caddis Fly Imitations
The Deep Sparkle Pupa
imitates the bottom drifting caddis pupa
The Emergent Sparkle Pupa
imitates the caddis struggling in the meniscus
Caddis Cripple
imitates a caddis pupa that was not successful excaping from the shuck
Dancing caddis
imitates the mature caddis returning to the water to drink or deposit eggs
Diving caddis
imitates female caddis diving to the bottom to deposit eggs
These fly patterns will imitate all of the important caddis species by varying the hook size and material color.
Antron yarn (trilobal nylon) is the material that provides the realistic impression of these flies.
Adult Caddis
Many of the emerging caddis are not able to escape the pupal shuck and become a significant source of food for the trout. These "cripples" are consumed during the hatch or wash up in collecting areas where they are taken by trout well after the hatch has ended.
The successfully emerged adult caddisflies are not available to trout. They quickly fly to the streamside vegetation where they may live for two weeks to three months depending upon species.
Adult caddisflies must have water several times a day to prevent dehydration. Their repeat trips to the water surface provides feeding opportunity for the trout. The LaFontaine Dancing Caddis imitates this activity perfectly.
Oviposting females provide another great banquet for the trout. Caddis egglaying is generally accomplished in one of these methods.
- Eggs are deposited above or near the water. This activity is of no interest to the trout or the flyfisher.
- Caddis females dip or sprawl onto the surface of the stream. Trout respond to this activity. The Dancing Caddis or full flush caddis imitations will take trout.
- Diving or crawling down to paste eggs on the stream bottom. The diving females slam down hard to break through the meniscus. Temporarily stunned from the impact, they sprawl at the mercy of the trout. Upon recovering they continue their trip to the bottom to perform the arduous chore of eggpasting. It should be noted that the female caddis are coated with air bubbles while underwater. Exhausted by this activity, they may drift quite long distances again easy fare for trout. After regaining strength, the female returns to the surface and after struggling through the meniscus, escapes to repeat this egglaying routine in the future perhaps 2-3 times. Trout feed heavily on these
diving females.
The fly developed for this feeding activity is the Diving Caddis which features bubble holding Antron fibers. This fly is tied for each important caddis species by varying the hook sizes and material colors.
One other phenomenon of note:
When trout become conditioned to the hordes of caddisfly egglayers splashing down, they become ultra selective to this activity to the exclusion of any other insect activity. Your Dancing caddis pattern may be chewed to pieces while natural duns float placidly and totally ignored by the trout.
Specific information can be found for the individual caddis species by clicking the links on this page or on the
Hatch Chart.
Trout Entomology |Trout|flyfishing
copyright©2000FlyfisherUSA
The Caddis Hatches of North America
Order Tricoptera
The following information is only a brief outline of some of the materials presented by that book.
| The Net Spinners Free Living Saddle Case Maker Purse Case Maker |
Tube Case Makers
|
Caddis spend most of their lives as larvae on the streambed feeding and growing through their instars. While generally well hidden, they become trout food regularly by accidental dislodgement or by the behavioral drift of some species. Trout may spend 75% of their feeding time picking insects from the drift much of which is devoted to caddis larvae. There are good flies available that imitate the cased and the free living caddis larvae.
Caddis Pupae
Two to Three weeks before emerging the larva goes into the pupal stage where it transforms into an adult. After leaving the case the adult caddis, still enclosed by the pupal sheath, goes through two distinct periods of hesitation on its way to the surface.
- First Hesitation:
- Leaves the cocoon and drifts with the bottom currents while gas fills the pupal sheath. When sufficient bouancy is achieved, the caddis begins its ascent to the underside of the meniscus.
- Second Hesitation:
- Just under the surface the caddis again drifts for some distance as it struggles to break through the meniscus and to escape from the pupal sheath.
Trout feed heavily on the caddis at these two periods of drift, thereby providing excellent opportunity for the informed fly fisher.
LaFontaine Caddis Fly Imitations The Deep Sparkle Pupa
imitates the bottom drifting caddis pupa
The Emergent Sparkle Pupa
imitates the caddis struggling in the meniscus
Caddis Cripple
imitates a caddis pupa that was not successful excaping from the shuckDancing caddis
imitates the mature caddis returning to the water to drink or deposit eggsDiving caddis
imitates female caddis diving to the bottom to deposit eggsAdult Caddis
The successfully emerged adult caddisflies are not available to trout. They quickly fly to the streamside vegetation where they may live for two weeks to three months depending upon species.
Many of the emerging caddis are not able to escape the pupal shuck and become a significant source of food for the trout. These "cripples" are consumed during the hatch or wash up in collecting areas where they are taken by trout well after the hatch has ended.
Adult caddisflies must have water several times a day to prevent dehydration. Their repeat trips to the water surface provides feeding opportunity for the trout. The LaFontaine Dancing Caddis imitates this activity perfectly. Oviposting females provide another great banquet for the trout. Caddis egglaying is generally accomplished in one of these methods.- Eggs are deposited above or near the water. This activity is of no interest to the trout or the flyfisher.
- Caddis females dip or sprawl onto the surface of the stream. Trout respond to this activity. The Dancing Caddis or full flush caddis imitations will take trout.
- Diving or crawling down to paste eggs on the stream bottom. The diving females slam down hard to break through the meniscus. Temporarily stunned from the impact, they sprawl at the mercy of the trout. Upon recovering they continue their trip to the bottom to perform the arduous chore of eggpasting. It should be noted that the female caddis are coated with air bubbles while underwater. Exhausted by this activity, they may drift quite long distances again easy fare for trout. After regaining strength, the female returns to the surface and after struggling through the meniscus, escapes to repeat this egglaying routine in the future perhaps 2-3 times. Trout feed heavily on these diving females.
The fly developed for this feeding activity is the Diving Caddis which features bubble holding Antron fibers. This fly is tied for each important caddis species by varying the hook sizes and material colors.
One other phenomenon of note:
When trout become conditioned to the hordes of caddisfly egglayers splashing down, they become ultra selective to this activity to the exclusion of any other insect activity. Your Dancing caddis pattern may be chewed to pieces while natural duns float placidly and totally ignored by the trout.Specific information can be found for the individual caddis species by clicking the links on this page or on the
Hatch Chart.Trout Entomology |Trout|flyfishing
copyright©2000FlyfisherUSA - Eggs are deposited above or near the water. This activity is of no interest to the trout or the flyfisher.