Craneflies

[lightenup]

If any of you remember the gay group Tomfly started a few months ago..."Fly of the Month"....a few memebers are still posting in it, and our fly this month is The Cranefly....seems we don't know very much about this bug......I know the wild trout in my local creek eat them....here is one of my contributions to the group..a dry Cranefly...
I was wondering if anyone on the board knows.....how they emerge...the lifecycle..egglaying...any stages that are more important than others.......I have seen fish eat Craneflies off the surface several times, but only the wild fish....I have caught fish on Walt's worm, and the larvae imitations..this is the first ttime I have attempted a dry, and will fish it when I get a chance and post results, if any.....

 

[PRomano]

You did very nice job on that! :thumb: I have seen them on the streams many times but I never seen trout feeding on them. You ever catch anything with that pattern?

 

[lightenup]

You did very nice job on that! :thumb: I have seen them on the streams many times but I never seen trout feeding on them. You ever catch anything with that pattern?

.."this is the first ttime I have attempted a dry[Cranefly], and will fish it when I get a chance and post results, if any".....

Like I said....not yet, but I will try...it took a while to tie this because the legs are a bitch....

I watched a six inch wild brown ignore caddis' hatching...a crane fly landed on the water just to its right...the thing turned immediately turned and took it violently.........I have seen it happen several times, but only on my local creek...and only the wild browns...
maybe this is why there isn't a whole lot of info readily available...
Thanks.....

 

[Rusty Spinner]

They are not an important dry fly, but a partridge and yellow fished wet is a great imitation. Nice tie, BTW.

I should add that the cranefly hatch seems to be waning, but it was a good one this spring.

 

[lightenup]

They are not an important dry fly, but a partridge and yellow fished wet is a great imitation. Nice tie, BTW.

I should add that the cranefly hatch seems to be waning, but it was a good one this spring.

I see Craneflies all summer..they just seem to get bigger the warmer it gets....

Now I HAVE to get a picture of that fly in a fishes mouth....

 

[Rusty Spinner]

I see Craneflies all summer..they just seem to get bigger the warmer it gets....

Now I HAVE to get a picture of that fly in a fishes mouth....

It will also pass for a sulphur spinner, so I would expect to catch fish with it. They just don't drift on the currents as duns like mayflies do.

 

[trico mike]

Very nice fly but you don't have to be that fancy. I like to tie mine heavily hackles so I can skate them, and i also tie spent one's for when the trout are sipping them in the morning. Small variant style flies also work well in yellow or grey. I don't know why rusty said they are not important, the limestone I fish get great hatches of them and the trout gobble them up. I have also had days on the Farmington when the trout wouldn't eat anything but craneflies. The more tools you have in your arsenal the better you will become

 

[Rusty Spinner]

I don't know why rusty said they are not important, the limestone I fish get great hatches of them and the trout gobble them up.

As a dry fly and I stick by that. I like partridge and yellow wets during that hatch, often fished behind a beadhead nymph from a current mayfly hatch or as a dropper under a dry. I'm a somewhat strong believer that flies are far less important than presentation and making sure the fly you chose is in the correct water column over the actual fly itself. Heck, we catch trout on a Adams which was designed for caddis and imitate nothing. Same goes for flies like Charlie Meck's Patriot, or a Royal Wulff or Humpy to name a few. Just put the fly where the fish are feeding and make sure you have a drag free drift unless they are chasing caddis and then make sure you have a good, downstream swing at the end of your drift.

 

[Trout Nazi]

Rusty spinner is a trout expert and guide. If he says they're not important, then they aren't.

 

[Trouser Trout]

Ichabod Cranefly...... in all seriousness none of has ever really seen a crane fly.......lets keep it real.......

 

[trico mike]

Rusty spinner is a trout expert and guide. If he says they're not important, then they aren't.

I often wonder who would possibly need a guide to fish in nj

 

[Trouser Trout]

I often wonder who would possibly need a guide to fish in nj

who do u have take your fish off the hook?

 

[Trouser Trout]

Ever attempt the variation called the Bob Crane Fly?

 

[lightenup]

I have watched trout eat craneflies.....only in one creek, but I would think it is not a unique situation, just an adaptation to a particularly abundant food source.....I see many caddis and more cranes on this creek...rarely do I see mayflies, so the trout eat an abundance of craneflies and caddis. Trico Mike, any chance of you posting an imitation?

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:rofl:

 

[lightenup]

Very nice fly but you don't have to be that fancy.

Thanks TM....You are telling me, I don't need to be that fancy? HA..have you seen those flies you tie?

 

[Matt Grobert]

Very nice tie, Lord D. In my experience craneflies are an important dry fly at times during the season, and some days that's the only thing the trout will take. As TM said, on the limestone creeks they are very abundant and a skittered fly can be the ticket.

M

 

[sunsignarcher]

My 10 & 12 yr olds just tied these crane fly larvae from tightlines YouTube video.

They are both very excited to have their ties posted on an Internet forum. Make their day and let um know what ya think. Thnx.

 

[podobed45]

I would fish with these any day. Great stuff. They tie these like seasoned pros. Hopefully the stay at the vise.

 

[lightenup]

Some of the better ties on NEFF....great job kids!!!!!!

 

[CTobias]

All I know is king salmon don't eat crane flies.

 

[Thursthouse]

I'm thoroughly impressed that your kids have the patience to sit down and tie. Those flies look great!!

 

[jack1266]

Great job by the kids. Very impressed that they didn't cover part of the hook eye. I still do that now and then.

 

[sunsignarcher]

Put those crane fly larvae to work on Fathers Day at the BFB and they did catch but only for dad unfortunately. The kids still havent caught a trout on their own tie yet.

BUT, they both managed to land trout completely solo on drys for the first time! Watching your kids watch trout take their dry offerings and seeing their shocked surprised faces when it happens as they set the hook and feel the weight of the fish is one hell of a way to spend Fathers Day.

My gift from them each year is to suck it up and do a marathon day on the water with dad instead of the usual halfers. I pushed them hard from dingmans ferry rd to 206 and up beyond the FF only area and they went hard all day. 7am till 4pm and they were very ready to hit the diner and skip the evening action (I was too).

Just before leaving I turned to see where my younger son was and caught him a little ways down stream in the middle of a series of side arm false casts with his rod tip just off the water. He shoots his fly under an over hanging tree to the far bank and throws in a mend. I'm thinking to myself what a perfect ending to a fathers day fishing trip when he slams that fly into a fishes mouth and snaps his head upstream to see if anybody saw what just happened! Upstream me and his brother are freakin out, hands over our head shoutin his name......could not have been prouder of both those kids Sunday. Great Fathers Day all around.


On a side note we took the time to closely inspect a few crane flys for the first time and DAMN are they ugly. I've never seen my kids squeamish about any bug on the water but that thing had them thinking twice about wether holding it was a good idea.

 

[lightenup]

Put those crane fly larvae to work on Fathers Day at the BFB and they did catch but only for dad unfortunately. The kids still havent caught a trout on their own tie yet.

BUT, they both managed to land trout completely solo on drys for the first time! Watching your kids watch trout take their dry offerings and seeing their shocked surprised faces when it happens as they set the hook and feel the weight of the fish is one hell of a way to spend Fathers Day.

My gift from them each year is to suck it up and do a marathon day on the water with dad instead of the usual halfers. I pushed them hard from dingmans ferry rd to 206 and up beyond the FF only area and they went hard all day. 7am till 4pm and they were very ready to hit the diner and skip the evening action (I was too).

Just before leaving I turned to see where my younger son was and caught him a little ways down stream in the middle of a series of side arm false casts with his rod tip just off the water. He shoots his fly under an over hanging tree to the far bank and throws in a mend. I'm thinking to myself what a perfect ending to a fathers day fishing trip when he slams that fly into a fishes mouth and snaps his head upstream to see if anybody saw what just happened! Upstream me and his brother are freakin out, hands over our head shoutin his name......could not have been prouder of both those kids Sunday. Great Fathers Day all around.


On a side note we took the time to closely inspect a few crane flys for the first time and DAMN are they ugly. I've never seen my kids squeamish about any bug on the water but that thing had them thinking twice about wether holding it was a good idea.

Great story!!!!! I can just imagine their suprise when a fish rises to the fly.....mine is still childlike....how old are they?


Just a note..I took my Cranefly imitation to the local creek.....there weren't any craneflies about..or anything else for that matter...but I did find a couple rising fish..The Cranefly got some very intense refusals....very quick rise, with a stop and turn..other dries, except for a beetle, got refusals..landed a couple on beetles..
But, I am more than sure when Craneflies are about, the trout will take my offering off the surface in this creek.....

 

[sunsignarcher]

Great story!!!!! I can just imagine their suprise when a fish rises to the fly.....mine is still childlike....how old are they?

My boys are 10 & 12.

Yah, my reaction I'm sure seems childlike at times too especially when I miss and throw a little tantrum!:rant: