STILLWATER SEMINARS * GUIDING * HOSTED TRIPS

Few other insect emergences cause as much excitement within the ranks of both seasoned and beginning fly fishers as that of the Traveling Sedge or Giant Case Maker Caddis. Just the names alone are enough to pique the interest of even the occasional lake fly fisher. Experiencing even one of these legendary emergences is enough to leave the memory permanently etched in your mind. For me, two experiences sum up the effect this insect hatch has on both trout and anglers. Roche Lake, situated about 20 miles southeast of Kamloops, BC is well known for its traveling sedge emergences that occur both during the day and at night. The abundant marl laden shoals provide prime habitat for these juicy morsels of trout food. A friend and I were fishing the lake one late June a number of years ago, waiting in anticipation of an evening hatch.

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Aquatic insects lead relatively structured lives in that they have a pre-determined life span which is made up of specific developmental stages. Water temperature plays a large part in determining the relative duration of each stage and also when the final emergence into the adult phase is to be completed. Water temperature also determines the sequence of the various aquatic insect emergences or hatches. In stillwaters, the first major emergences of the year are always midges followed by mayflies, damselflies, Caddisflies, and finally dragonflies. Some say the best is saved for last and with dragonflies, certainly the biggest food item is the last major aquatic insect to emerge during a typical stillwater year. The ease of hunting down this large prey more that compensates for the short emergence window as compared to other aquatic insects. Anglers and trout await with much anticipation for these annual nymphal emergence migrations.

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The presence of shrimp or scuds in a lake or stream tells us a lot about the relative productivity of that water body. Freshwater shrimp flourish in nutrient rich, alkaline waters. Shrimp require high levels of dissolved calcium in the water in order to develop and maintain their chitinous exoskeleton which frequently sheds. Aquatic environments that support populations of shrimp will also be home to a variety of other aquatic invertebrates including mayflies, midges, damselflies, caddisflies, dragonflies, and stoneflies, all of which are prominent trout food sources. This nutrient rich water provides ideal growing conditions for a variety of submergent and emergent aquatic plants. The submergent vegetation offers prime habitat for shrimp as well as many other invertebrates and fish.

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Chironomid Fever

Stillwater fly fishers have good reason to get excited about the start of each and every fishing season as the year always begins with the intense emergences of chironomids. Those that have mastered this hatch will undoubtedly get a good case of chironomid fever, which is a good thing. Chironomids or midges offer the most prolonged and prolific emergences of all the aquatic insects found in both lakes and streams. Their species diversity and incredible abundance makes them one of the most staple food sources of trout and other game fish. The key to mastering this important hatch is a solid understanding of the chironomid life cycle. Knowing specific details about each phase of its life history determines where and how to present proper imitations.

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Leeches are a common inhabitant of productive stillwaters. They are a long-lived member of the Annelid family and thus are a readily available food source for trout at all times of the year. Leeches are more nocturnally active and during daylight hours will often seek cover under logs, rocks or benthic debris. They are scavengers, feeding on both plant and animal matter. Some species, when fully extended, can reach in excess of 20 cm in length. They are found in a wide range of colours with black, brown, reddish brown, maroon, and green being quite common. Many leeches are multi-coloured with black and brown and shades of green and brown being common. Prime leech habitat is the bottom or benthic areas of the shoal or littoral zone of the lake or basically water up to about 25 feet in depth.

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The saying "It's raining like cats and dogs" usually puts things in perspective for the average angler. It brings up visions of being caught in a torrential downpour that often coincides with poor fishing conditions. However, there is another form of rain that knowledgeable anglers welcome and that is, the swarming or mating flights of waterboatmen or backswimmers. These air breathing insects, of the order Hemiptera, can provide some very exciting fishing action as they literally fall out of the sky. The classic waterboatmen/backswimmer "rain" or fall occurs on calm sunny days in early spring, late summer or early autumn. Raindrops just begin falling from the blue sky. The insects literally fly into the surface film and then attempt to swim to the lake or river bottom in an attempt to lay eggs.

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Introduction

Damselflies belong to the insect order Odonata. Members of the relatively primitive insect order are widely distributed from the tropics to the arctic. Worldwide, there are in excess of 650 species of this insect order. Odonata is broken down into two sub-orders: Anisoptera, the dragonflies and Zygoptera, the damselflies. Approximately 200 species of damselflies are found throughout their global range. Damselflies exhibit an incomplete metamorphosis which includes egg, larva (nymph) and adult stages. Larval habitats include the shallow or littoral zones of lakes, ponds, brackish waters and the slower reaches of rivers and streams. Damselfly larvae are easily distinguished by their long, slender bodies, distinct wing pads and well developed mouthparts.

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Mayflies are common inhabitants of many productive stillwaters. The majority of mayflies we see in small interior BC stillwaters belong to the Baetis Family and Genus Callibaetis. They are commonly known as Speckle-wing mayflies. Preferred habitat for the nymphs is the submergent and benthic vegetation covering the shallow water or shoal zones of the lake. The most abundant populations are found in those clear water lakes with abundant marl and chara lined shoals. Marl looks like a white or yellowish-white sand covering the lake bottom. It is actually calcium laden particulate that has formed a shallow layer covering the bottom of the shoals. Chara or Stonewart is calcium encrusted green algae that are prominent in alkaline stillwaters throughout North America.

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