SE aquatic bugs in a slump?

[lestrout]

I find fewer bugs this season. The caddis on the Tulpy, Ridley, even Valley seem to be sparser. Has anyone else noticed this? I first thought the high water was slowing things down, and while that was true, it's now essentially summer. I wonder if the same stuff that has demolished the pollinating bees is having the same effect on our favorite buggies.

 

[troutbert]

Tan caddis (Hydropsyche) are common in streams with artificial nutrient enrichment from discharges from sewage, farm animals, fish hatcheries, food processing plants, etc.

If the tan caddis are decreasing on your stream, that may be a sign of improving water quality.

But if the mayflies populations are going down, that's bad.

 

[Dave_W]

I have not experienced a fishable hatch yet this year. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of trout I've caught on mayfly or caddis dry flies.

Last year was pretty sparse too.

Yesterday evening I went out to a local creek and checked a few spots: no bugs and no rises. I'm not a big dry fly hatch matcher. . .but it has been really disappointing.

I'm still convinced, however, that it's just been bad luck and bad timing. I rock roll and seine for macros all the time and I'm still seeing the nymphs where I expect to see 'em (with a few exceptions) so I think I've just had bad luck.

And, of course, we should keep in mind that high water this year and last year has put a dent in much of our trout fishing and may have disrupted or re-arranged the timing and density of some hatches too.

I'm not concerned yet, but dry fly fishing for me has been terrible over the last 15 months or so.

 

[afishinado]

Dave_W wrote:
I have not experienced a fishable hatch yet this year. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of trout I've caught on mayfly or caddis dry flies.

Last year was pretty sparse too.

Yesterday evening I went out to a local creek and checked a few spots: no bugs and no rises. I'm not a big dry fly hatch matcher. . .but it has been really disappointing.

I'm still convinced, however, that it's just been bad luck and bad timing. I rock roll and seine for macros all the time and I'm still seeing the nymphs where I expect to see 'em (with a few exceptions) so I think I've just had bad luck.

And, of course, we should keep in mind that high water this year and last year has put a dent in much of our trout fishing and may have disrupted or re-arranged the timing and density of some hatches too.

I'm not concerned yet, but dry fly fishing for me has been terrible over the last 15 months or so.

I have seen the same thing as Les and Dave above.

Less hatches seen, and sparser hatches when they occur.

The high flows over the past year+ may have some effect; we can only guess. But nature goes in cycles, so I really wouldn't worry.

The monsoons have to end sometime. Overall, I would guess the higher flows have benefited the trout population. But the opposite is true for river smallmouth; the high flows have really negatively impacted the spawn for several years now. Plus wading in the rivers for smallies is becoming a distant memory.

Hopefully they will be replaced with normal flows and not a drought.

 

[Acristickid]

You tell me

Took a trip out to a stream a couple hours away within days of the water being fishable for the first time this year and hit an Olive hatch. Water was nice, skies were overcast and temps held steady. Bugs came off 2-3:30 and large Browns rose with abandon. It was the best dry fly fishing I had this year.

Fast forward to the next day- stayed over at hotel because the conditions were identical as the prior day and figured another glorious day was in store. Wrong!!! Arrived in same spot at same time with identical conditions - and waited and waited and nothing!! No bugs came off?? Why?? Very disappointing.

 

[PALongbow]

I can say that flooding water has not been kind to the bug life on Fishing Creek - Columbia County. Last year and early 2017 prior to the flood(s) the bug life was getting pretty active but the water scoured the stream bed and it shut everything down. I think the variances in water temps and irregular flows has also been a factor due to rain. My section of the stream has been 57 degrees for the last month or two and the flows has been up and down for most of the season. Too many variables for surface activity.

Ron

 

[Chaz]

The times I’ve been fishing the hatches have been good but spread out during the day and evening. They are clearly later in the season primarily due to cold high water. The Poconos and NCPA are much the same.

 

[pcray1231]

At the jam the sulpher hatch and spinners were excellent on Spring Creek. Upstream, at least. I heard less than stellar reviews farther down, where water was higher.

On Penns, I hit a heavy Hendrickson hatch in April. March Browns did their thing. Last weekend a solid midday Slate Drake hatch and a ton of sulphers at dusk, with mixed olives and cahills mixed in throughout all of it. Fish response to the sulphers was sub-par, but the bugs put on a good show, with literally thousands on the water when you shined a flashlight on the water after dark. Duns, not spinners, but the wind was high.

I hit sulphers on the Tully earlier in the year. It's a solid sulpher stream, despite most locals thinking caddis are the go-to.

I've experienced solid hatches this year. They are late, it seems. But that's all as expected given weather and water conditions. No complaints. When I was out expecting bugs, I got bugs.