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Originally Posted by Ruddy Roach
hi.
im new to fly fishing and just learning the cycles of the different kinds of flys (e.g. larva - pupa - fly).
I understand these cycles, and how different flys have different stages in life, but at what time on year can I fish using each kind?
e.g. Can I fish with a mayfly nymph all year??? Can I fish with a mayfly all year? Can I fish with midge larva all year? Buzzers? Midges??????
Im confused!!!
please could someone enlighten me?
andy
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Sober but bleary eyed but here goes. (I will be generalising)
The pupa is what most fly fishers would call a nymph, when it hatches it is called a dun and when it changes to its final, adult, stage it is called a Spinner.
Nymphs tend to be more active close to their time of hatching so specific imitation of a nymph is best fished close to the expected time of the hatch of the Duns. But most nymphs do not require a specific imitation, the mayfly is one of the few exceptions, a general pattern of the correct size is usually fine. Bare in mind that the nymph is by far the longest life stage of the insect so that is what trout have available to them for most of the time, so they eat them most of the time.
The various species of fly hatch at different times of year and some at different times of day depending on physical factors such as day length and temperature. Some hatch in open water and some hatch by climbing out onto the bank, instream vegetation, or other objects with their 'feet' in the water. The former are what dry fly fishermen are waiting for. Most duns find some bankside vegetation almost immediatley to shed their final skin and turn into the spinner, adult. This phase is when they mate and return to the water to lay their eggs and die. The males return the water to die as well, probably to act as 'chaff' for the females.
Some adults return to the open water and dip their eggs under the surface and others climb under the surface on vegetation to lay the eggs on it or into the water. Guess which ones the dry fly fisher prefers.
That was the briefest step into a fascinating subject that you can not know enough about to get the most out of your fiahing and bankside enjoyment.
To get to know some of the detail of the specific flies that will come accross I can thoroughly recommend that you get "Matching The Hatch" by Pat O'Reilly (other recommendations will be forthcoming!)
Welcome to the forum and fly fishing, there will never be a dull moment in either.
Cranefly,
P.s you are allowed to ask dumb questions as well!