No tags yet.
We've been stuck in a hot and humid pattern for most of the summer. The down side to this has been a voluntary curtailment of most trout fishing in our area. When practicing "catch and release fishing" for trout, the water needs to be below 70 degrees or better 68 degrees to insure optimal survival of the fish we intend to release. This is not uncommon in New Jersey. The Summer of 2018 has been unusually wet, nearly record setting. So while most of us have yet to fly fish for trout through most of July and August, the rivers are running high. That means much lower natural mortality due to predators for the trout. Even better news follows: It is finally going to be cooler, in fact much cooler in our current extended forecast. With the rain we've had, conditions should be excellent through late August into September. Insects are hatching in nice numbers even though we've left the trout to survive the heat. Trico's will be the first bugs on the water most mornings. Look for caddis and BWO's later in the morning. Isonychia and Light Cahills will appear before dusk. Hexes are some of the largest mayflies in our area and usually hatch after dark. Their spinner flights are impressive. You will see the large male spinners dropping from a height while attempting to land on the backs of the females to mate in the air.
The Hatches as of 8/18/2018
Morning until 11am:
Trico Tricorythodes Trico #22
Summer Blue Quill Paraleptoplebia mollis Blue dun #18-20, Blue Quill #18-20, Adams #18 RS2 Grey #18-20
Small Slatewinged Brown Quill Pseudocleon carolina BWO #20-22
Blue Winged Olive Drunella cornutella BWO #18-22
Late Afternoon-Dusk:
Slate Drake aka. Iso. Isonychia bicolor Iso Dun or Parachute #12-14 Iso Emerger , Iso Nymph, Prince or Zug Bug
Light Cahill Stenacron interpunctatum, ithaca, canadense Light Cahill #12-16 Hare's Ear Nymph #12-16
Cream Cahill Maccaffertium modestum Light Cahill, Sulphur #14
Little Evening Yellow Leucrocuta hebe Sulphur #18
Whitefly Ephoron leukon White Wulff #10-12
Hex Litobrancha rigida, atrocaudata Grizzly Wulff #10
Note: This is the time of year to carry terrestrials. Trout love Ant and Beetle patterns when conditions allow. Hopper patterns work well in areas bounded by grass or meadows.
