Entemology Books

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kak932

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I am relatively new fly fisherman, about 3 years experience. Finally started to get the hang of dry flies, now I'm ready to start catching more fish on wets/ nymphs. I would like to learn more about how to collect aquatic insects and understand where and how trout feed on these insects. Does anyone have a recommendation on a book / DVD that covers insects specifically on the east coast? I live in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
I have had a ton of success simply matching whatever the fish are rising for by carefully observing what they are eating on top of the water. I want to emulate this and somehow obtain or find what immature insects the trout are feeding on under the film. Any ideas on how this is accomplished?
 
http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Hatches-Introductory-Guide-Effective/dp/0811731820
 
Very cool site, and I just bought the book. Thanks for the replys
 
Nymphs I
http://www.paflyfish.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=15472&forum=15

There is also a "Nymphs: 2," but I'm not sure if there is a thread for that or not. I have both and probably read from one or the other at least once a day.
 
No love for the Charlie Meck field guide? Surprising.

Don't get too hung up on what's supposed to be there as much as what you see when you look.
 
gfen wrote:
No love for the Charlie Meck field guide? Surprising.

Don't get too hung up on what's supposed to be there as much as what you see when you look.
Click to expand...

http://www.amazon.com/Pocketguide-Pennsylvania-Hatches-Charles-Meck/dp/0979346053

LOL (lots of love)....good book for PA hatches.
 
There is tons of great information on line that will supplement your book purchases nicely. troutnut was suggested, also try www.fishermonk.com and often, just by entering a name in Google such as Green Drake, Blue Wing[ed] Olive, Blue Quill, etc. you will turn up a lot of great info on the specific bug.

Fascinate yourself with this mind-blowing discussion of mayfly anatomy:

http://fishermonk.com/programs/keys/shortkey.html#ANATOMY
 
gfen wrote:
No love for the Charlie Meck field guide? Surprising.

Don't get too hung up on what's supposed to be there as much as what you see when you look.
Click to expand...

Enough love that I bought an extra copy and put it into a back pocket of my vest.
 
Both of The Underwater World of Trout dvds are pretty good.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Eastern-Hatches-Flies/dp/088150615X

I liked this book
 
Agree with the book recommended by Delfan and the online recommendation from Jack.

Nymphs I & II are way too much for a beginner. Mecks book is a good on stream guide if needed.

Underwater World of Trout is just about unwatchable imo. If you do go that route, only buy one of them as 90% of the underwater footage is recycled and a real let down.
 
Do you guys think these are reasonable selections as an answer to the question originally posed? As a beginner myself, I just bought these books to learn the entomology and the streams (before I came across this thread).

Meck on PA streams and hatches 2nd ed.

Hatches II
 
Beefheart- those seem good to me.

I dont get into the entemology thing and certainly not into the latin names- that seems too much like work to me. But it is interesting from time to time.

Anyways, I could add another book -Gary LaFontaine's Caddisflies book.

It is like reading Beowulf to me. If I have trouble sleeping I might get a half a chapter in before I nod off but it is full of caddis info.

Happy reading.
 
Best thing to do is go the streams and turn over the rocks. Identify the bug to the genus level, that's about all you can do when you first start out. I know some guys that collect bugs a few weeks before they are ready to emerge and put them in a tank, keep the water circulating and watch what happens when they do hatch. It will really open your eyes.
I do some rock turning, but don't collect bugs. I do it to see what's there in the water and what the fish might be eating. I don't concern myself to much with idenitifcation much below the genus, because unless you put them under a microscope you're not going to see the identifying characteristics.
 
Or you can go to the extreme and do this...and then compare it to what is in the books.

In my opinion the definitive work on Mayflies is the book by the same name by Ted Fauceglia. It is the only book which includes photos of all three stages of the major hatches in the east and midwest.

Dave R.
 

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Not pictured: Kitchen rearing area and angry wife glares from occasional escapee. ;-)
 
no problem in our kitchen-we have a lizard living there-usually get ants in cold weather but lizzie loves them-so get a lizard,release bugs and significant other will praise you or braise.
 
Not all of us live in God's waiting room, Pete.

Does FL have trout, naturally? Artificially? Mayflies?
 
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