Black Caddis Larva & Black Fly Larva

[Nymphmeister]

Anyone had good success fishing imitations of Black Caddis Larva? The actual larva are interestingly enough not black at all, but rather yellow with a light/medium brownish head, in about a #18-20 or so from what I've seen. They almost resemble a Midge Larva. I know the fish eat them, because I've stomach pumped them out of trout on the Farmington. FYI, when I was there Tuesday there were quite a few Black Caddis adults on the rocks. I've had luck at times dead drifting a black soft hackle pupa version on the bottom and under a dry (when they were rising).

Black Fly Larva are also present in most streams, including the Farmington. Anyone tried to imitate these, and if so with what success? One of my friends has successfully done so using a latex pattern w/ a darker head tied on a #20 scud type hook.

[alanb_ct]

Boy, I fished in Maine, totally immersed in blackflies, but never tried the nymph. I believe they are a type of larva that rappel along the stream bottom by silk tether. Don't some folks simulate this effect by coloring their tippet white? I think LaFontaine mentions a similar event with caddis and his company sells the correct magic marker for the job. (Nymphmeister: please fill in the gaps in my explanation, thanks.)

[AaronJasper]

I know that the anglers that fish on the Upper Jackson River in Virginia fish a lot of black fly larva up near the dam. I would venture to say that black fly larvae are extremely important on rivers where there are not diverse hatches. With that being said I really don't know enough about the fly or its behavior to make any analysis as to its importance as a food for trout.

[Fascist Killer]

I think Don Holbrook has a pattern for the black fly larvae in Midge Magic.

[Nymphmeister]

Yes Alain, LaFontaine talks about using a Mean Streak marker to make your tippet white- the old timers in Maine used to fish a fly on white thread to imitate it. Wonder if they figured it out thru trial & error or observation. The white marker trick also works with certain Caddis larva that also rappel on a silk thread- this includes most cased Caddis and I think some free-living ones too. Brown Maxima Chameleon works for certain free living Caddis larva that rappel from brown silk thread- Rhyacophila, it's in his book "Caddisflies". He also mentions that when fishing their larva (also know as Green Rock Worms), that you should fish them in the faster water as opposed to slow- a test they did found them to be almost 4x more effective in swift, broken curents. Cased Caddis way outperformed them (about 3x better) in slow water, their natural habitat. While the Cased Caddis are at their best in slower flows, they also worked in faster water too- albeit only a little better than half as good as in the slower water. I've tried the white marker trick only a few times- the first time I tried it I got a really nice, big holdover on the Housy on an otherwise slow, late Winter/high water day. I snagged two #6 stick cased Caddis on my nymphs in about 10 minute, so I said hmmm, maybe it should try imitating that- just so happened I had a pretty much exact match in my box, go figure.

Black fly larva are small, a #16 would be a big one. I think a #18-20 would be about average, and I know they fish them on rivers like the Jackson in VA down to a #24. They usually have a light colored, translucent body and a darker head, and sort of a bowling pin shape to them, fattest near the rear. Natural cream latex on a #18-20 hook with a darker head would work. Not sure on the best where/when scenario, but it's certainly worth a shot on a river like the Farmington or Croton where the fish get pummeled with the usual assortment of flies. LaFontaine has info on this in "Trout Flies- Proven Patterns", as well as his own funky pattern for them.

And yes Rego, there is a pattern for Blackflies in Midge Magic, on pages 33-35. Author Don Holbrook makes a very strong statement, "If you tie only one pattern out of this whole book, make it this one". He says the larvae can be found in #18-24 in various shades of gray to brown, and that they might be the most widespread small insects of interest to fishermen. Further, he says it is the most successful out of the many patterns he has come up with in his lifetime, and has worked for him everywhere he has fished it. Gotta tie that one up!

[TroutAholic]

Torrey, I assume you are talking about the larva of the winter caddis?

[Nymphmeister]

Steve-
No, I'm talking about Black Caddis (prob Chimarra, but I'm not positive on that)- the Winter Caddis on the Farmington are more of a lighter brown color in the adult stage. The larva are also yellow though, just like the black caddis. A #18 larva in yellow with a light to medium brownish head should cover both bases- maybe even a #20. Black Fly larva are the larval form of the annoying black flies that bite the living daylights out of us in warmer weather.

[Nymphmeister]

So nobody else has any experience with imitating or fishing Blackfly larva?

Davyfly-
You have any input on fishing & tying Blackfly larva?

[Fascist Killer]

Midge Magic is the only place I've seen them discussed Torrey... Borger might have mentioned them briefly in something, but Midge Magic is the only place I remember a discusison and a pattern.

[AaronJasper]

I know Torrey's hero Gary Lafontaine mentions them in one of his books.