Rising for what???

[Steeltrap]

I fished Laurel Hill the other day and tossed out a lot in my arsenal. I tried W-Bugger, green caterpillar imitation, different color soft hackles, egg patterns, etc. Most of what I tried I've been successful with in the last month.....but not the last time.

The water was the "lowest and slowest" that I've fished which I surmise the trout had much clearer water and a little more time to make their decision of take or not.

Finally, I tied on a size 18 Griffith Gnat and had one riser come very close for a good look. He didn't like what he saw.

So, again, not knowing what they are rising for I've tied up several Griffth's in size 22. In addition to my size 18 & 22 Zebra Midge emergers in black, I'm going to tie up a few in olive and brown.

Any other ideas of "what to use" in these types of situations\conditions?

Thanks!!

 

[dryflyguy]

The smaller flies may just do the trick.

I catch lots of fish on ants and beetles in low clear water this time of year

 

[Bamboozle]

I don't know the place you were fishing but...

What kid of rises, sipping, splashy...did you see fish's nose break the surface?

Were the rises regular or sporadic?

Did you see anything ON the surface like small duns, craneflies or midges or NEAR the surface like the difficult to see Little Black Caddis?

 

[Steeltrap]

I don't know the place you were fishing but...

What kid of rises, sipping, splashy...did you see fish's nose break the surface?

Were the rises regular or sporadic?

Did you see anything ON the surface like small duns, craneflies or midges or NEAR the surface like the difficult to see Little Black Caddis?

Rises were splashy....on occasion sipping....mostly splashy.

Rises were sporadic. And by that I mean maybe every 5 minutes....not like a constant sipping for a long time period.

I looked for any kind of aquatic near the surface. But with my 65YO eyes, I could not see anything.

 

[gulfgreyhound]

Fish ant or beetles this time of the year. ? GG

 

[gulfgreyhound]

Fish ant or beetles this time of the year. ? GG

 

[Bamboozle]

Steeltrap:

My guess is Little Black Caddis (LBC) which are REALLY hard to see unless you get almost level with the water.

Beetles always work, (I was taking fish on them during a Sulphur hatch recently) but I doubt that's what they were taking, only because Japanese Beetles aren't out yet and most terrestrials only OCCASIONALLY end up on the water.

Again, that doesn't mean they won't work...

If you have or can tie an all black Elk Wing Caddis in a size 18 or 20, try that. You can also try a beetle (size 16 or 18) which I have caught MANY fish on when the LBC are on the water.

If you have Spotted Lanternfly in your area and there are overhanging trees on Laurel Hill, the nymphs are active now and it could be that. A beetle will cover those as well.

Finally, craneflies are always around, hard to see and they cause splashy rises. A simple imitation is a thread boded imitation on a size 16 or 18 hook, with a spare collar of hackle swept backward with a few wraps of thread. I tie them with cream & dun hackle and yellow or olive body.

They don't float great so I grease my tippet as well as dressing the fly, but they DO catch picky fish.

Good luck!

 

[LetortAngler]

I fish Laurel now and then. My favorite rig there this time of year being a dry-dropper - #14 black para-ant (or any larger parachute that will support a 2.5mm tungsten bead) with a black #16-20 Zebra Midge tied off the bend with 6x tippet. Whatever the depth of the water is you’re fishing, use that as your gauge for the length of tippet you’ll need. Don’t shy away from the larger zebra midges either (14-16). I assure you they can work equally well as the smaller ones as they are a bit heavier and get to the strike zone quicker.

 

[Steeltrap]

Thanks Gents!! Much appreciated top secret information on this forum!!

Ant's and Zebra's I got. Beatles and Cranefly's I can whip up.

The Little Black Caddis I can whip up as well.

I'll give 'em a try and let ya know how I do.

Again, thanks for the info!!