Stoneflies & Salmonflies

[SilverDoctor]

 

 

[Dangus]

anyone ever experience an albertan salmon fly hatch-or should I say, salmonfly egg laying? Being from the Kootenays, none of our rivers were open or fishable in time for them-hell, I don't even know if they're out there. I heard they're here, but sparse.

[bcubed]

Have had it on the Crow, sadly the water was maybe 2" of vis, so the fish didn't take advantage. Only seen it once

[SilverDoctor]

See salmonfly hatches most years. Mostly just the end of the hatch but I have been lucky enough to catch a few big hatches. Always like a few different patterns just in case.

[LastBoyScout]

Yes but there was only one year on the Crow way back when that the planets really aligned - noticed it, water conditions, weather, days off. I followed the egg laying from above the falls to almost Frank over the span of ten days or so. There were a large amount of the big insects (not mayfly or caddis amounts) but still dozens at a time on the water and thier splashing and swimming had every fish in the river hysterical at times. My heart is racing again telling the story, I remember taking the orange thread off my curtains in my orange 1972 vw camp combie to get the stomachs the right colour on my sad looking but with all the frenzy still very effective adult imitations.

[SilverDoctor]

The trout are not shy during that hatch, I see trout everywhere then.

[toolman]

I have never seen significant numbers of Salmon fly's on the Bow. Have never even collected more than a couple of samples in any single season. Have tried fishing large Salmon fly patterns starting in early May with very little success. However, that said, things can change dramatically on the lower Bow from year to year and Salmon fly's could suddenly appear in large numbers. It has happened with Skwala's and March Browns that went from historically minor hatches, too epic dry fishing in a single season. Although Salmon fly's (Petronarcys dorsata) thrive in high oxygen environments of mountain streams, as do Skwala stonefly's, several Bow tributaries can be a source of new Bow river aquatic invertebrate species. From an entomological perspective, the lower Bow is still maturing as an aquatic environment. Thus the recent arrival of Skwala curvata which was not positively identified or documented until 2009. Another previously undocumented newcomer is a species of Mahagany dun, paraleptophlebia bicornuta.

[SilverDoctor]

You are right Toolman, I have never seen Salmonfly hatches on the Bow, the ones I see are on smaller and slower streams. My fishing buddy Skwala and I from this board hit a great hatch but neither of us had patterns at the time, since then I carry them religiously.

[Taco]

I like slingin' sz 6 orange stimmies

[jpinkster]

We tried a new stone technique last year that delivered some exciting results:

We found a seam that dumped into some slack water against a bank. We casted a foam stone straight across the run. As it moved downstream, we lifted the rod tip up so the foam bubbles across the surface. We would continue the swing until the fly was almost directly downstream of us.

We had a few chunky trout move a very long distance to slaughter those foamies. Looking forward to giving that a spin again this year.

[Villageidiot]

Haven't encountered it full on. But trout do remember the adults about a week or so after the hatch. Confirmed it on the RDR this season.

[mattpreat]

I've seen a few salmonflys on Prairie and some huge nymph casings that must've been salmonflys on the Cearwater as well. If you don't mind sharing, what patterns do you like to use to imitate these Lornce? I've been searching for a pattern that's a little more specific than just a big stimulator but haven't really found anything I like a whole lot

[SilverDoctor]

I've seen a few salmonflys on Prairie and some huge nymph casings that must've been salmonflys on the Cearwater as well. If you don't mind sharing, what patterns do you like to use to imitate these Lornce? I've been searching for a pattern that's a little more specific than just a big stimulator but haven't really found anything I like a whole lot

I have a couple of good patterns. This is one, the other one I am out of as I passed a few to a buddy during the Expo. Will be tying up some and will post in the next few days. Both have really worked well.