Little Black Caddis (Brachycentrus species)
Newly Hatched Adults:
The newly hatched adults are sometimes eaten on the surface before they
depart the water. As I said in the previous article, I think many more pupae are
eaten than adult but that does not mean that the trout will not take a dry fly
imitation of the adults. They will certainly do just that. Many anglers use the dry
fly exclusively during the hatch.
The occidentalis body is a dark gray/brown color. Wings are gray with black veins
showing. These caddisflies are normally imitated using a size 18 to 16 hook. The
males are one hook size smaller than the females. We use the size 16 because
the females are the ones that are laying eggs. Normally the water is fairly cold,
approximately 50 degrees, when the Grannoms hatch. They do ride the water for
a short time before they fly off to the banks. Sometimes it is so cold in the
mornings during the hatch, that the adults are almost dormant. I have seen many
occasions when you could pick up several of them off of the rocks and plants
when they made no effort to fly off. It is usually mid-afternoon on the cold days
after a hatch has started before the adults start flying. On these cold days, the
hatch will start during the warmest part of the day.
Egg Layers:
As mentioned before, the adult females usually start the egg laying process prior
to the end of the hatch. For some time, maybe an hour or two, there are usually
a lot of caddisflies on the water. The females either deposit their eggs on the
surface of the water or they dive and deposit the ball of eggs they carry. The
trout eat them in both cases. They ones that dive return to the surface of the
water for a short time before flying away.
When the egg laying first starts, the most productive fly is probably still the pupa
imitation. At some point, the hatch will stop and things change. At that time I
suggest you try a dry imitation of the female egg layers.
You should fish the adult dry fly in a dead-drift fashion where you see the most
activity. I would fish the adult fly down and across. Most of the time the dry fly will
work great but factors such as the water and air temperature can affect this
activity and results.
Very late in the day near dark there may be a lot of spent caddisflies on the
water. They usually collect in the eddies and slow, calm pockets along the banks.
This is where you want to fish the adult pattern. Sometimes the trout will rise to it
when it is just drifting slowly around in circles in the eddies. They will also collect
at the heads of the pools below the riffles and runs.
Newly Hatched Adults:
The newly hatched adults are sometimes eaten on the surface before they
depart the water. As I said in the previous article, I think many more pupae are
eaten than adult but that does not mean that the trout will not take a dry fly
imitation of the adults. They will certainly do just that. Many anglers use the dry
fly exclusively during the hatch.
The occidentalis body is a dark gray/brown color. Wings are gray with black veins
showing. These caddisflies are normally imitated using a size 18 to 16 hook. The
males are one hook size smaller than the females. We use the size 16 because
the females are the ones that are laying eggs. Normally the water is fairly cold,
approximately 50 degrees, when the Grannoms hatch. They do ride the water for
a short time before they fly off to the banks. Sometimes it is so cold in the
mornings during the hatch, that the adults are almost dormant. I have seen many
occasions when you could pick up several of them off of the rocks and plants
when they made no effort to fly off. It is usually mid-afternoon on the cold days
after a hatch has started before the adults start flying. On these cold days, the
hatch will start during the warmest part of the day.
Egg Layers:
As mentioned before, the adult females usually start the egg laying process prior
to the end of the hatch. For some time, maybe an hour or two, there are usually
a lot of caddisflies on the water. The females either deposit their eggs on the
surface of the water or they dive and deposit the ball of eggs they carry. The
trout eat them in both cases. They ones that dive return to the surface of the
water for a short time before flying away.
When the egg laying first starts, the most productive fly is probably still the pupa
imitation. At some point, the hatch will stop and things change. At that time I
suggest you try a dry imitation of the female egg layers.
You should fish the adult dry fly in a dead-drift fashion where you see the most
activity. I would fish the adult fly down and across. Most of the time the dry fly will
work great but factors such as the water and air temperature can affect this
activity and results.
Very late in the day near dark there may be a lot of spent caddisflies on the
water. They usually collect in the eddies and slow, calm pockets along the banks.
This is where you want to fish the adult pattern. Sometimes the trout will rise to it
when it is just drifting slowly around in circles in the eddies. They will also collect
at the heads of the pools below the riffles and runs.
Copyright 2009 James Marsh
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