 |
| Deschutes Caddis Time! Spotted Sedge, Hydropsychidae ~ Hydropsyche. |
With the Deschutes River's "steak size" Stoneflies of May and June now gone, tasty Caddis of all sizes and colors will roam the river and its surrounding areas for the next several months. The Spotted Sedge especially, is an important food source in July for Redside Trout. The Spotted Sedge hatch is one of the best caddis hatches on the river and probably one of the easiest and most productive ways of catching Redsides.
Larva:
This net spinner larva is best imitated by a good' ol' hares ear size 14. Easy, right? Since many of these larva dislodge themselves in fast riffles and runs we like using an un-weighted version but with weight (such as split shot or behind a tool fly) located 10-16 inches above the Hare's Ear. This allows the "larva" to drift close to the bottom and drift freely. At the end of your drift simply hold your line tight and the let the fly swing towards the bank. The "Hare's Ear Larva" doubles up and now turn into a "Hare's Ear Pupa".
Pupa:
The Pupa stage is best imitated by a size 14-16 Lafontaine's Sparkle pupa or Softhackle in tan (brown, green). These are must-have flies for fishing caddis on the Deschutes, more so than anything else.
Start fishing the BH Sparkle Pupa in late afternoons before the adults begin hatching. Fish a tan BH Sparkle Pupa as the lead fly with an un-weighted size 16-14 Hare's Ear or March Brown Softhackle as a dropper spaced apart by 10-14 inches of 4X tippet.
Since the BH Sparkle pupa won't drag down the light artillery close enough the river bottom, you must clamp on split shot above the flies. When fishing flies in tandem spaced apart 10-14 inches, the split shot must be placed at least 16-20 inches above the Sparkle Pupa's in order to avoid tangling. Dead drift these tandem flies (with or without "bobbers") in deep seams as well as faster runs beneath riffles. As mentioned above, remember to hold your line tight at the end of each drift and the let the flies swing toward the bank as this imitates the pupa rising to the surface. Hang on! For additional ways of fishing pupa's check Rick Hafele's book and DVD Nymph Fishing Rivers and Streams.
Adult:
During the mid-day heat and bright sun, toss a size 14 (tan'ish brown) Elk Hair Caddis or E/C Caddis underneath Alder trees or against overhanging grass banks. Shade will be a key factor for finding trout feeding on top. The Spotted Sedge adult is 8-10 mm in size which translates into a size (12) 14 hook.
A swung Softhackle however is a much better option during dusk as this pattern double up as a pupal imitation and a diving female depositing her eggs. Prime fishing for caddis during July and August is from dusk till dark. Should the hatch be so intense that the naturals are getting in the way of your offering, try a neon-yellow bodied softhackle tied with brown partridge hackle. It's sorta' like fishing an oversized Royal Coachman during an intense Mayfly hatch. Step up your tippet size when swinging, as takes are hard. You will lose fish and flies if you are opting for 5X. We like 4X!
All images used in this article are courtesy of Rick Hafele and Idylwilde Flies.
|
|
|
|