I will not start this story with tales of over sized trout. I will not tell you that I caught 100 fish in one day. What I will tell you is that while I was fishing the other day a Stonefly nymph was the hands down fish catcher. It worked so well that it made me think to myself, "Could these bugs really be making their annual migration into the shallows?". I started turning over rocks. I found them alright. Dozens of fat, pulsing Stoneflies clung to the bottom of volcanic stones. Waiting. Waiting for the water temperature to reach that magical number when they are triggered into emerging into the open air and the open mouths of trout.
Anyone that has fished over a heavy hatch of "Stones" knows once you have experienced it that it will haunt you for the rest of your days. I am fortunate enough to live in a place where I can take advantage of a long Stonefly season. There are stretches of river where the water is low and warm in the early season and they are triggered in the middle of April. In the end of April, beginning of May, other stretches warm up and turn on. By this time of year the Lower Deschutes River is firing up and I fish this famed hatch for all it is worth. After the Lower D it is off to another fabled water in pursuit of Golden Stones. In all I will get almost 3 months to immerse myself in the cult following that is the Stonefly Hatch.Keep checking and drift away with me in this "Stonefly Series"!
2 comments:
Great post! I love fishing stonefly hatches here in Tennessee. We have little yellow stoneflies that start hatching in the late spring and continue well into the summer. A stonefly nymph will just about always catch fish in the Smokies but is best from now on for the next 2-3 months.
Hey Dave! Glad you liked the post. Stoneflies are it. I jones for those bugs for 9 months. Now it is play time! Tight lines and let me know how your Stonefly seaon goes. -Thom
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