patterns for grannoms

[Arrowflinger]

what are everyones top producing patterns for the grannoms and does it differ stream to stream? maybe list a top five including at least one dry.
1. tungsten jig turkey tail cased caddis
2. peacock soft hackle
3. sparkle pupa
4. mercers tungsten swing caddis
5. lance eagans corn fed caddis

 

[jifigz]

1) Prince Nymph
2) partridge and peacock
3) Bird of Prey
4) Elk Hair, black
5) Holy Grail

 

[Arrowflinger]

1) Prince Nymph
2) partridge and peacock
3) Bird of Prey
4) Elk Hair, black
5) Holy Grail

thats a good list

 

[jifigz]

thats a good list

Grannoms will be popping before we know it.

 

[Wild_Trouter]

Here's my two favorites:

 

[Wild_Trouter]

Here's my two favorites: View attachment 1641234309

View attachment 1641234311

The top pattern uses EP Trigger Point Fibers in Caddis Grey Dark and EP Trigger Point Dub in Western Grey on #14 Dry Fly Hook. The lower pattern comes from Doc Fritchey TU and the link for materials list and video for tying instructions is here: https://dftu.org/tying-the-grannom-caddis-with-rich-distanislao/

 

[turkey]

X-Caddis w/ a peacock herl body
ESP
I like jifigz recommendations of the EHC w/ black, and I've swung some fish up with the venerable peacock and partridge.

 

[tomgamber]

Pretty sure this was it:

 

[Arrowflinger]

Grannoms will be popping before we know it.

already got my camping spots reserved

 

[bigjohn358]

The stream I fish that has the biggest grannom hatch ALSO has a hendricksons hatch usually at the same time the grannoms are hatching. You can easily see the grannoms BUT the hendricksons aren't as easy to spot. The trout often prefer the hendricksons!

 

[nymphingmaniac]

big John brings up a good point-overlapping emergence. Little black caddis come off with grannoms on Spring creek and elsewhere. Once I saw most fish going for the smaller black caddis, why, I couldn't tell you. Put on a size 18 and had good success

 

[dudemanspecial]

The stream I fish that has the biggest grannom hatch ALSO has a hendricksons hatch usually at the same time the grannoms are hatching. You can easily see the grannoms BUT the hendricksons aren't as easy to spot. The trout often prefer the hendricksons!

Ran into this on Penns last year. I had all of these grannom patterns I tied that were getting ignored. Tied on a 14 rusty spinner and that was the ticket.

 

[shakey]

Green maurice
Peacock SH
Partridge and green
Green tag grizzly hackle
Leadwing Coachman

I vary the hackle from Dun hen, California quail , partridge,starling , grouse, etc

 

[redietz]

Greentail

Leadwing Coachman
Grouse & Herl

I'd never fish a during a grannom hatch. If they won't take one of those, I assume it's a masking hatch and see what else is hatching at the seem time.

 

[troutbert]

The best fishing I've had with grannom imitations has been in late afternoon, when they are laying eggs. Then you will often find lots of trout rising for them. I just use an elk hair caddis with a charcoal colored body. Size 14 and 16. It's best to twitch the fly. The movement draws strikes.

 

[mt_flyfisher]

One morning last spring the grannoms were all over the water and trout were rising to them. But I had had only moderate success. What had I been missing? After trying several flys I finally tied on this pattern, and bingo!

The Missing Link. This one is a size #14, but change hook sizes and colors as needed. I believe it’s the flys profile on the water that’s the trigger point.

 

[Jessed]

Hard for me to pick a better fly during a thick Grannom hatch. It just works period.

 

[Sylvaneous]

A dark chocolate body with sparse partridge hackle or wrapped CDC and a copper, sliver or black bead. Then the same body with thick CDC wing for a dry. Maybe a creme or dun antron shuck. Sz. 16. Treat it with Watershed and take Frog Fanny or other similar dryant/flotant. Pull the dry underwater below you, then drop the rod tip , releasing tension and allowing it to pop to the surface. It's tough to do, but for weird risers, it might be the ticket.
There's just not much nuance to these flies, which is NICE because you can focus on the fishing.
You can leave the green butt off. It doesn't show untill the females develop their eggs well after they fish, at least in the grannoms I've every caught and studied after hatching.

 

[troutbert]

There are two different types of grannoms commonly found in PA.

One type has charcoal (black) colored bodies. The other has "apple green" colored bodies.

The apple green grannoms are larger than the charcoal colored ones.

 

[afishinado]

There are two different types of grannoms commonly found in PA.

One type has charcoal (black) colored bodies. The other has "apple green" colored bodies.

The apple green grannoms are larger than the charcoal colored ones.

This is a post I made about Grannoms quite a few times on here over the years:

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:

Cheumatopsyche (Little Sister Sedges) Caddisfly Pupa Pictures

3 close-up macro pictures of a Cheumatopsyche (Little Sister Sedges) Caddisfly Pupa, collected from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin on May 18, 2004.

www.troutnut.com