Continued from Trout Food page
Reference for this page "The Trout Fisherman's Bible" by Dan Holland 1962
Stonefly's continued:
Stone flies are not as common as mayflies or caddis flies but there are a lot of them around and trout know where to find them. Stone flies live under rocks, so it is hard for the tout to find them; the trout eat them when they get washed out from under the rocks. if you want you can use stonefly nymphs as a natural bait on a small hook if you have the patience to dig them out from underneath the rocks first. This is one of the best that you can use on trout other than grasshoppers cop from the field.
Stonefly nymphs can't swim very well it has two claws on each foot that hold onto rocks and when he gets washed off he can't swim in the current. so if you are fishing with a stonefly imitation or a real stonefly make sure to let it drift down with the stream into the trout's mouth. This is also true of many other types of bait such as salmon eggs and grasshoppers. Stoneflys hatch early in the year so they are good to use during the spring season.
The adult stonefly lives out of the water. It has long wings folded down its back. It looks like a nymph with wings. There are different species of stonefly some are black, some are gray, and some are brown. They live near the stream in bushes and trees and mate on the water. After they lay their eggs they die. You can catch them by shaking branches near a stream and use them for bait or to match the hatch. They do not fly very well and are easy to catch. Trout like to eat them mostly when they are hatching and when they are laying their eggs
Mayflies
Mayflies are dainty and graceful as adults. Most dry flies imitate a mayfly. It is important to match not only the color but the size of the mayfly when using a dry fly, since trout are very good at distinguishing the difference. Trout eat more and mayfly nymphs than any other kind of nymph. The nymphs of mayflies are very abundant wherever trout live. Because mayfly nymphs hatch slowly from the water, trouts find an easy meal.mayflies have a variety of different adaptive methods for different water environments; they are mostly limited by the clarity of the water. they can live in both still water and swift water.
Some live in mud and some live under rocks. They eat algae which they get from the rocks and the water plants; they also eat some water plant as well. The mayfly nymph looks a lot like the stone fly nymph, but its tail is shaped more like a V than a U. They can be anywhere from half an inch to 2 inches long. The larger nymphs live up to two years; the small nymphs can live for as short as six weeks. Mayflies are food for trout from the spring until the fall. Mayflies are a lot more agile than the stonefly and can swim and run fairly well. Different types of nymphs are more abundant during different seasons. It is important to not only match the color and shape of the nymph but also his motion since it varies from species to species.
When the mayfly ready to become an adult, it's swims to the surface of the water, splits its shell open, and emerge is as an adult. This stage is a very dangerous one for the mayfly, since the trout finds it easy prey. Mayflies hatch throughout the day, but often during the summer there is an extended hatch in the evening right during dinnertime for the trout. This is often the best time of day to be a dry fly fisherman. It is also a fun time to watch trout rising and eating insects. It is a good time to get an estimate of how many trout there are in that particular area as well. I given mayfly species will always hatch at the same time of the year in the same time of the day. Mayfly adults live for only about two days.
A dun is the stage of the mayfly when it first hatches from the water. The dun stage is not the final stage of the mayfly. The mayfly rests for a one to two days and then molts again into a brighter stage. The stage is known as the spinner stage. The spinner is the mating stage. Female spinners have an egg sac. The females are the ones that lay their eggs and are eaten again by the trout at this stage. Trout love this stage the best it seems.
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