Caddis Flies - Life Cycle

Caddis Flies of
Ontario

Caddisflies or sedge-flies (Order Trichoptera, from Greek trich, "hair", and ptera, "wings") Caddis are small moth-like insects that have two pairs wings. They are closely related to Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) which have scales on their wings, and the two orders together form the superorder Amphiesmenoptera. Caddisflies have aquatic larvae and are found in a wide variety of habitats such as streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, spring seeps, and temporary waters (vernal pools). The larvae of many species make protective cases of silk decorated with gravel, sand, twigs or other debris. Many species of caddisfly larvae enter a stage of inactivity called the pupa stage for weeks or months after they mature but prior to emergence. Their emergence is then triggered by cooling water temperatures in the fall, effectively synchronizing the adult activity to make mate-finding easier. In the Northwestern US, caddisfly larvae within their gravel cases are called 'periwinkles.' "Caddis Larvae" (photo - D. Barrett) "Caddis Larvae" (photo - D. Barrett) Caddisfly pupation occurs much like pupation of Lepidoptera. That is, caddisflies pupate in a cocoon spun from silk. Caddisflies which build the portable cases attach their case to some underwater object, seal the front and back apertures against predation though still allowing water flow, and pupate within it. Once fully developed, most pupal caddisflies cut through their cases with a special pair of mandibles, swim up to the water surface, cast off skin and the now-obsolete gills and mandibles, and emerge as fully formed adults. In a minority of species, the pupae swim to shore (either below the water - see figure - or across the surface) and crawl out to emerge. Many of them are able to fly immediately after breaking from their pupal skin. "Caddis Pupa" (photo - D. Barrett) The adult stage of caddisflies, in most cases, is very shortlived, usually only 1-2 weeks, but can sometimes last for 2 months. Most adults are non-feeding and are equipped mainly to mate. Once mated, the female caddisfly will often lay eggs (enclosed in a gelatinous mass) by attaching them above or below the water surface. Eggs hatch in as little as three weeks. "Caddis Adult" (photo - Bruce Marlin) Caddisflies in most temperate areas complete their lifecycles in a single year. The general temperate-zone lifecycle pattern is one of larval feeding and growth in autumn, winter, and spring, with adult emergence between late spring and early fall, although the adult activity of a few species peaks in the winter. Larvae are active in very cold water and can frequently be observed feeding under ice. In common with many aquatic insect species, many caddisfly adults emerge synchronously en masse. Such emergence patterns ensure that most caddisflies will encounter a member of the opposite gender in a timely fashion. Mass emergences of this nature are called 'hatches' by salmon and trout anglers, and salmonid fish species will frequently 'switch' to whatever species is emerging on a particular day. Anglers take advantage of this behavior by matching their artificial flies to the appropriate fly. Article Sources: Dave Barrett Wikipedia Photo Sources: Dave Barrett Bruce Marlin More at: www.flyfishontario.ca

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Bingo Bango Fly Fishing - Season One Episode One

Finally!!! The first episode of Bingo Bango has hit the webwaves!!

Episode One of Bingo Bango Fly Fishing takes us through southern Ontario on opening weekend. Join the fly fish Ontario crew for some great Brook trout and Steelhead action on some beautiful southern Ontario streams!

Here's the link to the first episode:

Episode 1

and here's the link to our channel on Blip.tv where you can find our show archive as well!!

Bingo Bango Fly Fishing - Blip.tv

We are also looking for guests to appear in upcoming shows. If any of you folks are interested, just shoot an email to: videos@flyfishontario.ca.

Future episodes will be focused on the following:

Fly Fishing for Small Mouth Bass
Fly Fishing for Carp
Fly Fishing for Pike
Fly Fishing for Musky

with many more to come!!


Enjoy!!

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The First Dry Fly Action Of The Year!

The weather was great......the black flies were thick!!!

Luckily however, really the only fish we brought to hand were caught on dry flies. Mostly smaller fish in the 7 to 10 inch range, but who's complaining??

Hendrikson duns were the main dish for brookies, browns and rainbows over the weekend, with a couple taken on LBWO's as well.

I had my father in law with me, and he had never touched a fly rod before. He fishes with us, but this time I wanted him to get into some trout on flies. And that he did!!

I taught him how to skate a dry across the surface, and it wasn't long before he had some fish coming to the surface for his offering.

Just little guys, but not bad at all for a first timer!! Congrats Bill!!!

Into the afternoon, some of the older fellas were needing a beer, so myself and my cousin Justin headed upstream into the jungle for what we hoped would be some better action with a chance at some bigger fish.

We headed downstream to a pool that we like to fish on this river. The river is tiny.....only about 15 or 20 feet wide at its widest spots. Its full of absolutely impossible logjams and makes for some very technical, short line fishing. We reached the pool, and the air was full of hennies, LWBOs and midges. Needless to say, it wasn't long after sitting there that we saw the first rise, then another and another.

We probably took about 20 fish between us in that pool, with a couple bruisers coming out for a little sip as well. We werent ready for the big guys, and the excitement caused us to rip the fly right from their lips each time before they had a chance to clamp down!

I did get one shot of a pretty little brown though

And here's a shot at one of the bridges of the last bit of the hendrickson hatch we managed to hit

Can't wait for the major hatches to begin up there!!!!!! B)

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High Stick Nymphing Revisited

A while back, I posted something regarding an extremely useful method of nymphing. We figured a little video tutorial might be useful for people interested in using this method.

Kurtis Robinson shows us how to use this highly effective method of nymphing. Keeping your line short and your rod tip high in the air are key factors in successful high stick nymphing. Heavy nymphs are usually a necessity when using this method. Drifts are short, and the fly needs to get down deep very quickly.

Right click and "save as" to download this video (WMV 4.2MB)

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