Terrestrials it is!

[sstasiak]

Took the day off today to try my luck at some wild browns. The first stream I went to was in PA. Stream temp at 9am was 62 degrees at a slightly below average flow. I decided to fish a dropper setup the whole day to see what that'd do for me. No bugs coming off except for very few #16 tan caddis. I tied on a #8 parachute hopper with an olive emerging caddis pupa dropped off of that. Fish were coming up to the hopper. I landed one nice 13 brownie on the hopper and had fish coming up pretty consistently. I forgot my digital cam, but I'll post a pic I took with my phone. More on the way after I develop the crappy disposable camera. Water temp when I left was 65 degrees at 12:15pm.

On the way home, I stopped by a stream in NJ for some more browns. I broke off my hopper/pupa setup at the first stream and had no more. Tied on a black cricket with a red ant dropped off of it. Again, fish came up to the hopper predominantly. I fished one pool for about 45 minutes after spotting a nice fish holding in some slack water. I kept missing hook sets. He kept coming up for it, but the dropper tippet was keeping the fly from getting in his mouth properly. I clipped off the ant and made a few casts back into the water. A few minutes later I had another 13" brown. For a 13" fish, this fish fought like a madman. I was fishing 6x and he just kept peeling line out when I'd get him to my hand. That's the one in the picture. Fish were coming up consistently here as well.

 

[C&R]

Aw nuts! It was a nice day today. I would have gone with you! I didn't know you could just take off work like that. I also have a bunch of beetles that I tied up last week. Let me know next time.

Did you use my 3wt at all?

 

[Scott]

Crickets - the unsung terrestrial trout-catching champion. Most people tie on grasshoppers, but I find crickets are the ticket.

 

[theartoflee]

Great report steve... you should start tying up some cyrnobal ants for this weekend try size 8.

 

[sstasiak]

Aw nuts! It was a nice day today. I would have gone with you! I didn't know you could just take off work like that. I also have a bunch of beetles that I tied up last week. Let me know next time.

Did you use my 3wt at all?

It was a GREAT day yesterday. Not too hot, just right. It would've been tough fishing the streams with 2 people with the low water conditions, but next time I'll let you know. I didn't use the 3wt. Which reminds me, I need to drop that off. I might take a ride by Tight Lines today after work. If I do, I'll drop it off today.

 

[sstasiak]

Great report steve... you should start tying up some cyrnobal ants for this weekend try size 8.

I'm heading over to Rays on my lunch break to pick up some tying supplies for ants, beetles, and hoppers.

 

[theartoflee]

I'm heading over to Rays on my lunch break to pick up some tying supplies for ants, beetles, and hoppers.

I am not sure how much foam their is at Rays but all you will eed is black tan and yellow foam. If you get all 3 you will be able to tie a bunch of patterns and should have all the basses covered.

 

[C&R]

I'm heading over to Rays on my lunch break to pick up some tying supplies for ants, beetles, and hoppers.

All you have to do is go to a craft store really (Michaels, Rag Shop, Treasure Island). They have sheets of foam in every color you can imagine (I stole mine from my wife) and its much much cheaper. Only thing that you might not find there are rubber legs.

 

[Scott]

All you have to do is go to a craft store really (Michaels, Rag Shop, Treasure Island). They have sheets of foam in every color you can imagine (I stole mine from my wife) and its much much cheaper. Only thing that you might not find there are rubber legs.

I use the rubber skirts you find on spinnerbaits, jigs, etc. They're cheap, come in 100's of colors & you can find them in most sporting goods stores.

 

[C&R]

I use the rubber skirts you find on spinnerbaits, jigs, etc. They're cheap, come in 100's of colors & you can find them in most sporting goods stores.

Aren't they too flimsy for leg material? I'm trying to picture it but I don't see the legs poking out, I see them just sort of hanging from the body. The rubber legs I use come from a 12" long strip (that resembles a black hard drive cable) that I cut into 1.5" segments and then separate them using my bodkin. They're soft and springy and don't break when I tug on them if I have to adjust them once tied in.

 

[JeffK]

Spinner bait skirts work just fine. There are all types though - natural rubber (from exactly those same strips you mention) and square or round silicone legs in a variety of sizes. Most of the silicone legs have sparkles and many have printing on them. I like skirts with a bunch of colors so I can get plenty of colors for the least cost. The big supply outfits, like Bass Pro, Cabelas, and Janns Netcraft have an amazing variety of skirts in natural and wild colors.

They are great for legs, but also do a good job for bodies for caddis larva and pupa. Find translucent silicone "legs" in body colors of green, tan/cream, and orange (yes, there are orange bodied caddis larva). Add a base wrap of white thread and then wind the silicone leg as a body. I makes a nice translucent segmented body that is easy to do. Finish with any of your typical head/thorax techniques. I have found this to work well for those small bright green bodied larva.