JackM
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LittleJuniata wanted me to let everyone know that the Grannoms will be hatching on the Little J in about 77 days:
JackM
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ryanh
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Hey you guys keep me in the loop, I think that i would like to fisht "the hatch" this year. Maybe we should plan a semi-organized trip.
Maurice
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How about a PAFLyfish Posse?
flybop
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I used to love the Grannom hatch on Penns. Now I get to fish the Mother's Day hatch out here in Montana. The Yellowstone gets an absolutely unbelievable hatch of our grannoms. If the river holds and the hatch peaks before runoff really kicks in the caddis hatch is a sight to see!
When the hatch peaks on any given stretch of river the entire surface, bank to bank is literally covered with caddis, There are so many bugs your head begins to spin. The pics below do not do the peak of the hatch justice, I forgot my camera the day the hatch went balistic, but it will give you an idea.
Driving in Paradise Valley along the Stone during the hatch is like driving in a snow storm. When the roads gets close to the river all of a suden you hear a whole lot of splats on the windshield. Then the front of your car is covered with little green egg sacks.
If you have never seen the Mother's Day Caddis hatch in Montana it is worth the trip. So are the salmon flies, but I am getting ahead of myself now.
Hope these pics work out. I will have better caddis pics this spring.
BTW, all that junk along the long are actually masses of caddis. You can literally scoop up hand fulls of them.
When the hatch peaks on any given stretch of river the entire surface, bank to bank is literally covered with caddis, There are so many bugs your head begins to spin. The pics below do not do the peak of the hatch justice, I forgot my camera the day the hatch went balistic, but it will give you an idea.
Driving in Paradise Valley along the Stone during the hatch is like driving in a snow storm. When the roads gets close to the river all of a suden you hear a whole lot of splats on the windshield. Then the front of your car is covered with little green egg sacks.
If you have never seen the Mother's Day Caddis hatch in Montana it is worth the trip. So are the salmon flies, but I am getting ahead of myself now.
Hope these pics work out. I will have better caddis pics this spring.
BTW, all that junk along the long are actually masses of caddis. You can literally scoop up hand fulls of them.
redrockgrizzly
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i cant wait to fish this hatch on Penns.
vcregular
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Here are some grannom pics from April 23 2005. The last pic is a combo of grannoms and some mayflies. Great time of year!
littlejuniata
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Great pictures, I especially like the one of the caddis on the surface! I think the Little J trout grow an inch during this hatch. Thanks for posting the picture Jack.
T
troutbert
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For those who are tyeing up a supply for the Grannom hatch.
If you go to the link Jack supplied you see photos of adult caddis with light green bodies.
The bodies of the Grannoms on most of the PA streams famous for the Grannom hatch aren't that color, they are charcoal black. I don't have any photos of these but maybe someone else does.
The Grannoms on Penns, Fishing Creek, Little J, Spruce Creek are this black/charcoal color. I know this from direct experience. From what I've heard, they are also this color on Oil Creek and other streams in that region.
Some of the big streams in NC PA do have the apple green-bodied ones. Such as the Loyalsock and Pine Creek.
Not sure about the Delaware. I've heard it has a good Grannom hatch but I'm not sure which color they are.
If you go to the link Jack supplied you see photos of adult caddis with light green bodies.
The bodies of the Grannoms on most of the PA streams famous for the Grannom hatch aren't that color, they are charcoal black. I don't have any photos of these but maybe someone else does.
The Grannoms on Penns, Fishing Creek, Little J, Spruce Creek are this black/charcoal color. I know this from direct experience. From what I've heard, they are also this color on Oil Creek and other streams in that region.
Some of the big streams in NC PA do have the apple green-bodied ones. Such as the Loyalsock and Pine Creek.
Not sure about the Delaware. I've heard it has a good Grannom hatch but I'm not sure which color they are.
tomgamber
Well-known member
thats why I just use black swiss straw for the wings on my grannoms...
Bruno
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Ryan:
Count me in. I gotta new ride that has yet to see a fishing trip
J
JeffK
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I think the Delaware has both shades. The lighter one is the apple caddis, the darker can be called the grannom, shad fly, or Mothers Day caddis depending who you talk to.
It can be frustrating when a ton of caddis are on the water and the trout aren't going for your excellent imitation.
It can be frustrating when a ton of caddis are on the water and the trout aren't going for your excellent imitation.
PaulG
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Great pic's guys, but with this cold weather it's killing me! I need to fish, I've got cabin fever real bad :-x
afishinado
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The following info was posted by Lloyd Gonzales, the author of "Fly-Fishing Pressured Water." It is by far the best explanation of the PA grannom (Brachycentrus species) I have ever read. I was also confused. What Fly fishermen call grannoms around here range from black to dark green to bright green. His explanation follows:
Grannom, American Grannom, Shadfly, Apple Caddis, Mother's Day Caddis, and Black Caddis are all common names applied to Brachycentrus species. Mother's Day Caddis is the most common Western nickname for Brachycentrus occidentalis, a Western "grannom," but I have also heard this name applied generally to "grannoms" here in the East.
In PA, it is useful to think of "dark grannoms" and "light grannoms." The species your flies are imitating are more typical of the dark grannoms. The "apple caddis" is a light grannom. Most of the important (PA) Brachycentrus species have overlapping hatch periods, so either dark or light imitations (or both) can be called for, depending on the stream.
Here's my current breakdown for important PA species:
Brachycentrus numerosus--Penn's Creek Caddisfly, Dark Grannom, Dark Shadfly; adults have dark-mottled wings and dark blackish green bodies; pupae usually dark with green lateral stripes and dark wingcases.
Brachycentrus lateralis--Striped Grannom, Dark Grannom, Black Caddis; adults have dark wings and pupae are typically dark olive with tan lateral stripes and dark wingcases.
Brachycentrus nigrosoma--Little Dark Grannom, Little Black Caddis; adults/pupae are smaller and darker than numerosus.
Brachycentrus appalachia--Apple Caddis, Light Shadfly, Light Grannom; adults have very light tannish or grayish wings (almost white when freshly emerged) and apple green bodies; pupae are apple green with tan wingcases.
(Brachycentrus solomoni and incanu are also found in PA)
Most "grannom" activity in PA occurs from mid-April to mid-May. During that time, if you carry imitations of dark and light grannoms (adults and pupae) in sizes #14-16, you should have most bases covered.
You are right that the adult imitations are seldom very good during the emergence (pupa or emerger patterns are best). During the egg-laying activity, however, they are often very effective. The fish may prefer skittered, dead-drifted, or wet adult imitations depending upon the concentrations around their lies.
Lloyd Gonzales
Author of Fly-Fishing Pressured Water
I use LaFountaine black emergent and deep sparkle pupa for the dark species #14-18. For the light green I use a brown and bright green ESP & DSP #14-16. The recipes are in the LaFontaine's book, "Caddisflies."
Also, here is a link to troutnut showing the apple green grannom,
http://www.troutnut.com/specimen/324
Grannom, American Grannom, Shadfly, Apple Caddis, Mother's Day Caddis, and Black Caddis are all common names applied to Brachycentrus species. Mother's Day Caddis is the most common Western nickname for Brachycentrus occidentalis, a Western "grannom," but I have also heard this name applied generally to "grannoms" here in the East.
In PA, it is useful to think of "dark grannoms" and "light grannoms." The species your flies are imitating are more typical of the dark grannoms. The "apple caddis" is a light grannom. Most of the important (PA) Brachycentrus species have overlapping hatch periods, so either dark or light imitations (or both) can be called for, depending on the stream.
Here's my current breakdown for important PA species:
Brachycentrus numerosus--Penn's Creek Caddisfly, Dark Grannom, Dark Shadfly; adults have dark-mottled wings and dark blackish green bodies; pupae usually dark with green lateral stripes and dark wingcases.
Brachycentrus lateralis--Striped Grannom, Dark Grannom, Black Caddis; adults have dark wings and pupae are typically dark olive with tan lateral stripes and dark wingcases.
Brachycentrus nigrosoma--Little Dark Grannom, Little Black Caddis; adults/pupae are smaller and darker than numerosus.
Brachycentrus appalachia--Apple Caddis, Light Shadfly, Light Grannom; adults have very light tannish or grayish wings (almost white when freshly emerged) and apple green bodies; pupae are apple green with tan wingcases.
(Brachycentrus solomoni and incanu are also found in PA)
Most "grannom" activity in PA occurs from mid-April to mid-May. During that time, if you carry imitations of dark and light grannoms (adults and pupae) in sizes #14-16, you should have most bases covered.
You are right that the adult imitations are seldom very good during the emergence (pupa or emerger patterns are best). During the egg-laying activity, however, they are often very effective. The fish may prefer skittered, dead-drifted, or wet adult imitations depending upon the concentrations around their lies.
Lloyd Gonzales
Author of Fly-Fishing Pressured Water
I use LaFountaine black emergent and deep sparkle pupa for the dark species #14-18. For the light green I use a brown and bright green ESP & DSP #14-16. The recipes are in the LaFontaine's book, "Caddisflies."
Also, here is a link to troutnut showing the apple green grannom,
http://www.troutnut.com/specimen/324
Maurice
Administrator
Staff member
Good post Afish...That clears that up.
Maurice
littlejuniata
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The Little J has the Little Black and the Grannom, for a dry imo try a green egg sack pattern!
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