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There are other insects that occur in
trout waters besides the big four (mayflies, stoneflies,
midges, and caddisflies). Dragonflies and damselflies
make up a significant portion of a trout's diet during
their season. Dragonflies, and their dainty relatives
the damselflies, both belong to the order Odonata, dragonflies
being the suborder Anisoptera and damselflies Zygoptera.
Adult dragonflies are robust and are easily distinguished
from the adult damselflies by their size, the fact that
they are fast fliers, and that they hold their wings
flat, at right angles to their body like an aeroplane
when at rest. |
Damselflies are slim, slow fliers, and they fold their wings
along their back when at rest. Adult damselflies also have
the characteristic bright electric blue colouring with black
bands along their abdomen.
Both suborders have similar mating habits, but what's important
to the angler is that the nymph stages occur relatively early
in the year (timing varies with water temperature) and are
present throughout most of the fishing season. It's the nymphs
that the fish take their keenest interest in.
It is quite easy to distinguish between the nymphs of the
Odonata. Although both suborders have similar colour patterns
(usually variations of greens and browns), damselfly nymphs
are smaller (about ½ an inch in length), with long, slender
abdomens that have three feather-like gill filaments extending
from their rearend like a tail. The damselfly nymphs are climbers,
preferring to dwell on the stems and submerged leaves of aquatic
vegetation where they stalk their insect prey. Dragonfly nymphs
are larger (one inch or longer) and more robust, having broader,
somewhat flattened abdomens with no exterior gill appendages.
They dwell on the lake bottom, either crawling around in search
of prey or buried in the mud awaiting their next meal.
The two suborders have distinct methods of locomotion as
well. Damselfly nymphs swim through the water using a wriggling-type
motion much like that of a snake, often appearing to use their
abdomens and rear gill filaments as fins to propel themselves
forward. The dragonflies usually crawl along the debris on
the bottom of the lake or stream, but when threatened or attacking
prey, they have the ability to eject water from their anal
opening propelling themselves forward very quickly over distances
of up to several inches.
Given the above information you can now think about what
sort of fly patterns to use to imitate these little creatures.
I have tied and fished several different patterns for each
of the nymphs and have settled on two damselfly nymph and
two dragonfly nymph patterns. They are the most consistent
producers for me in coastal or interior waters.
Any really good damselfly pattern must display a swimming
type of motion to be consistently effective, and marabou feather
does the job well. Ian Forbes' damsel nymph pattern is simple
to tie and very effective.
Forbe's Damsel Nymph:
| Hook: #12 to 14, Mustad 9671 |
|
|
| Thread: Olive monocord |
| Tail:Olive Marabou |
| Abdomen: Dubbed green wool, floss,
or larva lace |
| Thorax: Dubbed brown
or back wool or seal |
| Gills: Olive Partridge hackle or
dyed ostrich herl |
| Rib: None |
| Eyes: Plastic or bead chain |
| |
Fly Tying Instructions:
- Wrap on the thread and X in the eyes just behind the eye
of the hook.
- Wrap the thread to the bend of the hook and tie down
a moderate clump of olive marabou, extending about a hook
shank length past the bend as a tail.
- Tie in another clump of marabou and wrap the thread forward
to the eyes.
- Then wrap the marabou forward forming a slim body, and
tie off at the eyes.
- Tie in a smaller clump of marabou and X around the eyes
to form a small bulbous head.
- Tie off behind the eyes.
- Tie in the partridge or ostrich and wrap two or three
times around
- Tie off and whip finish.
An effective variation of this pattern can be tied with a
bead head instead of the eyes.
The damselfly nymph patterns should be fished using a floating
or slow sinking line near weeds or lilypads using a hand-twist
retrieve. During the midday heat the damsel nymphs swim to
the nearest reeds, weeds, or lilypads, crawl up them and hatch
out into the adults. Trout key in on this migration and feed
steadily near the surface for hours. If you twitch your retrieving
hand just slightly while bringing in the line you will cause
the marabou on the fly to undulate and will attract a bit
more attention.
The two dragonfly nymph patterns I prefer are the D.D.D. and
my own Rose Dragon. The D.D.D. is an excellent pattern (although
it is a bit too slim to imitate a dragonfly nymph accurately)
and is the one with which I prospect most. .
| Hook: #12 to 14, Mustad 9671 |
|
|
| Thread: Black or green monocord |
| Tail: Pheasant tail fibres |
| Abdomen: 4 Strands peacock herl.
|
| Rib: None. |
| Thorax: Olive Chenille |
| Shellback: Pheasant tail fibres |
| Beard: None. |
| Swimmerets: Pheasant tail fibres. |
| |
| |
Fly Tying Instructions:
- Wrap on tying thread and tie in the tail of 4-5 strands
of pheasant tail, about shank length long.
- Secure to the butt 4 stands of peacock herl.
- Spin to twist then together and wrap to a point mid-way
between the hook point and the eye of the hook.
- Tie off and cut.
- Tie in a small bunch of pheasant tail fibres.
- Tie in the olive chenille and wrap the chenille to just
behind the eye.
- Tie off and cut leaving enough room to tie in the swimmerets
and whip finish.
- Pull the pheasant tail fibres over the back, tie off and
cut off excess.
- Tie in 4 strands of pheasant tail at the head so that
they trail back along the left side of the fly, about shank
length.
- Repeat for the right side.
- Tie off and whip finish the head.
The Rose Dragon is my own pattern that I developed
when the D.D.D. wasn't working and I was in the middle of
a good dragonfly hatch; I needed a closer imitation. The pattern
is as follows:
| Hook: 3X long shank, Mustad 9672 |
|
|
| Abdomen: 50/50 blend of olive and
brown antron yarn |
| Ribbing: Medium copper wire or fine
lead |
| Thorax: Olive chenille |
| Hackle: Redbrown pheasant tail fibres
tied in for legs. |
| Thorax: Olive Chenille |
| Wingcase: Redbrown pheasant tail
fibres |
| Head: Olive chenille
|
| |
Fly Tying Instructions:
- Fasten the copper wire to the butt of the hook.
- Form a dubbing loop and dub on the antron to form an abdomen
just over half the length of the shank.
- Wrap the copper wire in the opposite direction to the
dubbed body to form a rib and tie off.
- Tie in pheasant tail fibres on the top of the shank and
then the olive chenille.
- Wrap the chenille forward and tie off, leaving just enough
room for the head. Don't cut the chenille off.
- Grasp the pheasant fibres and pull them over the back
of the thorax to form a wingcase and tie it off.
- Take a few pheasant fibres and tie them in on the far
side of the fly, at the point where the base of the head
will be, to form the left legs, then do the same on the
near side.
- Form the head with the remaining chenille, tie off and
trim excess.
- Whip finish and cement.
- Using a pair of needlenose pliers squeeze the abdomen
into a semi-flat shape to resemble the shape of the natural,
and you're done.
Dragonfly nymphs should be fished right on or very near the
bottom. Use a full sinking line and a short leader and slowly
hand-twist or troll the fly along. Every so often you should
give it a few quick pulls to imitate the insect shooting forward
as if attacking prey or trying to escape a predator, then
let it rest a moment or two before starting the slow retrieve
again. You will often get a strike just as you start the fly
moving again after letting it rest.
Trout very seldom eats adult dragonflies. In all my years
of fishing I have only ever seen it done twice. However, adult
damselflies are another matter. While not the norm, I have
often found myself in situations where some trout are taking
the adults while others are feeding on the nymphs. If you
happen upon fish taking adult here is a pattern I designed
that works exceedingly well . . . and it floats well too:
Bill's Adult Damsel:
| Hook: #10 Mustad 9672 3x long shank.
|
|
|
| Body: Cut blue foam. |
| Ribbing: None |
| Hackle: Natural deer hair as spent
wing. |
| Wingcase: None. |
| Eyes: Plastic |
| |
Fly Tying Instructions:
- Wrap thread to butt of hook.
- Tie down the thin blue foam with about 2x the shank length
extending rearwards.
- Lift the foam out of the way and wrap thread forward
to the head.
- Tie down the other end of the foam at the head.
- Clip excess.
- Tie in 2 small clumps of deer hair, one to each side,
spent-wing style.
- Clip excess. X in the plastic eyes.
- Tie off, whip finish, and cement.
- Mark the blue foam with several bands of black felt pen
to give it the black banded look of the natural adult.
Nymphing with damselfly or dragonfly imitations or fishing
dry fly with a damsel adult can be exciting and nerve-wracking.
When the trout are onto these insects they become selective
and aggressive. If you can manage to offer the fish an accurate
imitation you'll be in for a day of fishing you won't soon
forget.
Bill Luscombe has been hunting and fishing for most of his
42 years. He has been flyfishing for 20 years. He instructs
flyfishing, and has done so for the past 12 years. He also
instructs the federal FSET firearms course and the BC CORE
hunter training course. He is an award-winning outdoor writer
and has been writing freelance since 1987. He has been published
in BC Sport Fishing Magazine, Outdoor Edge, BC Outdoors, Western
Sportsman, Island Fish Finder, and the BC Hunting Guide.
Bill Luscombe was born an army brat and raised in Ladner
(Delta, BC) where he was raised hunting waterfowl and pheasants.
He presently resides in North Cowichan on southern Vancouver
Island where he has lived and worked full time as a professional
forester since 1982.
He presently works in Nanaimo for the BC Forest Service and
continue to write the fly-fishing column for BC Sport Fishing
Magazine as well as contributing articles freelance to various
outdoor magazines in western Canada. Bill Luscombe is also
a BC Director of the Northwest Outdoor Writers Association.
"Catching fish is not hard. You simply need to understand
what makes them tick. If you think like a fish, you will catch
fish. It’s as simple as that."- Bill Luscombe
Previous Articles by Bill Luscombe:
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