Bug Sampling

So my early New Year's Resolution is to be more proactive in sampling the waters I fish for bugs. I really want to hone in one the colors and characteristics specific to some tailwaters and tie up some flies to make some solid imitations of my own, versus the generic midge/mayfly nymph/caddis nymph/stonefly imitations and whatnot. I was wondering where you can get those small vials to stick in my pack while I'm fishing for bug storage? What liquid do you store your bugs in - rubbing alcohol, vodka, anything else? Any help is appreciated.

Everything you need is here!

http://www.flyfishingnetwork.com/Fly...ntomology.html

I know I have seen most of the equipment for storage at Blue quill as well as Charlies fly box..the fluid and vials that is...I would go to a pet store and get an aquarium net but to do some heavy duty sampling two dowels with 3ft of screen between them stuck into the river is required..havent done it out here but I should...

I'm no biologist but I've stored a lot of samples. Whatever fluid you use, make sure you store the vials out of light. UV light wreaks as much havoc as oxygen.

Ok so I think Andrews is a Bot. I need to read better.

I've stored aquatic insects in both alcohol (isopropyl and ethanol) and formalin from the pathology dept. in my hospital. The colors change. I've come to the conclusion that digital photos in a petri dish with a mm ruler for scale is better. I use a BCS to match the colors. Those of you without a BCS can take the digital photos to the fly shop and match the insect color.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18.../Misc/BCS1.jpg

The advantage of a BCS is that you can match colors on the stream. No photos needed. Note the colors of the natural and its size. Then take the BCS and your notes to match colors to fly tying materials. Remember that dubbing changes color when it is wet. It gets darker so match the insect color to wet color.

Likewise also the color tone of the water will determine visual of preceived color in bugs both below and on the surface as will the relative direction of light influence and background color of the river bed.
So many other issues of interest in s far as how well or otherwise a trout actually sees the artificial.

Today case in point.
I had rigged by clients with a 2 fly midge rig both size 18. Flies exacly same other than body color, one black the other blood red, both size 18s with 1.5 nickle bead.
Overcast day, water speed app 2mph, average depth 6ft, rigs identical.
Fish only had interest to take the red midge, interesting. Now was that due because they were not able to see the black, or for some reason red was the trigger factor, we shall never know for the trout cannot speak.

Which raises the issue is color important, no doubt it is, the deal is determining what is at the time we fish, so do we make a assumption based on experience for that particular water fished, obviously yes given the prevailing conditions at that time.
When we fish a new water how do we make choices, based on what the fly shop tells you, information obtained from the web, past experience of similar waters, others we know who fish that water.

Fly fishing is all about mystery, to some extent. Are there logical answers, yes at times but not always. It is at the end of the day largely based on years of experience and required angling skill.

DW

From my experience, collecting insect samples is a waste of time. Firstly, I'm against disturbing the bottom and dislodging insects that aren't ready to hatch, eggs, etc. Secondly, I found significant variations in both color and size. Thirdly, the preserved insect samples do indeed fade.

IHHO presentation is far more important than pattern and I'm a firm believer that the wrong fly fished right will always take more fish than the right fly fished wrong. Insect hatches are very-well-documented in our fly fishing literature and those authors have left us with many effective nymph patterns. Fish those patterns properly and you'll catch fish most of the time. I've come to the conclusion that the time one would spend collecting is better used actually fishing.

I read a bunch of books and was convinced that I needed to do this too. I even bought all the books old thru new Nymphs, North American Macro Inverts, etc..100s of dollars. And after doing it for a while, I don't know that it made me that much better of a fisherman. Now, I almost always take a stream sample (have to use the awesome nets i bought) before I fish or on new water or new sections to get a feel for whats going on, but I don't keep anything.

I 2nd the taking pictures comment, it makes it so much more simple and colors of sample always fade. People, particularly girls, think its really weird to have dead bugs all over your home.

I think as far as information goes the best sampling tech for fisherman would be to take a stomach sample, but I cant bring myself to do it. If I kill a fish to eat it then of course am dissecting but when I do that its almost never Trout, I love me some triggerfish and porgies. I have watched people pump stomachs, I have examined the results, and think its the best way of really knowing what a trout is eating, but I feel like it's kind of pushing the limits of catch and release.

Recently however, (I always come up with master plans in the winter) I made plans to put some live insect larve into some fish tanks and try to observe behavior and development. I am kind of pumped on the idea, because I do agree with the above dude, its all about presentation. They better you do that the more fish you will take.

By the way I am a little upset that I opened this post because I am not going to stop thinking about that color matching system until I buy it. I really hope its not expensive.

By the time you catch a fish why in the world would anybody pump its stomach and then let it go?? To figure out what they would eat? I see people pumping stomachs from time to time and I want to kick that stomach pump out of their hands. In not jumping on you adipose but I can't stand stomach pumping.