Bugs, Part 1 (Dragon Flies)

I thought that I would do a 6 part series on the bugs that we as Flyfishers use in the lakes and rivers of BC, Alberta, And the pacific Northwest.

The insects that I will cover will be as follows:

Part 1- Dragons

Part 2- Damsels

Part 3- Leetches

Part 4- Chironomids (Midges)

Part 5- Scuds (Shrimp)

Part 6- Caddis Flies (Sedges)

PART 1 (Dragons)

The dragon fly is a very important food supply for the trout in the lakes of the region. The one I will be covering is common here, but it is not the only species around.

Common name: Dragon fly

Order: Odonata

Suborder: Anisoptera

Family: Aeshnidae

Color ranges from Browns to Grey’s and Greens

Size: 30mm-50mm

Trout mostly target these insects in nymph stage of their life cycle, but have been seen taking the odd adult. Dragons live underwater as Nymps for 2-4 years and then emerge as adults climbing up anything they can find to get out of the water to transform.

These insects are very very aggressive predators while in the nymph stage. they will hide in the weeds, mud, and other debris that is found in lake bottoms and will stay very still until something comes by that is a food item. They are ambush hunters and are very quick.

If they are startled or surprised they do have a way of defending themselves. They are able to expel water through thier rectum like a jet. This causes them to move at very quick speeds in short 2-3″ bursts.

Because these insects are ambush hunters they are very good at concealing themselves in their surroundings, because of this they are difficult for the trout to find. The trout really start to target them as the migrate toward shore to start their transformation to the adult stage.

These are large food items for the fish, so the fish feed very aggresivly on thm when they are migrating. As these insects live in the lakes all year they are available to the fish all year round.

I have found that Dragons start their migration around mid morning during the summer months, and this can be a great time for the Flyfisher.
Rick Passek

Tight lines & Fun Times

“The FlyFish Fanatic”