It's TRICO Time!
Tricos, oh how I love, (and hate them). The Trico hatch is going strong on South Platte and especially at Elevenmile. Up in the canyon, the fish are up and eating them on the surface. I wake up at 5am during the summer for one thing and one thing only, the Trico hatch.
Trico's are an interesting mayfly and what they lack in size they definitely make up for in numbers. Their hatching and mating (males and females) occurs late at night and early in the morning. I caught some fish recently right before dark at Deckers so don't rule that out as well. What looks like little evening olives are actual male Trico's so have a fly with a black body and an upright wing.
However, in the morning is where it's at for Trico's! With the hot days we have been experiencing here in Colorado you need to get on the water early. As the nights cool the hatch will start later and later, but well into October and even November. The clouds of bugs at Elevenmile this past Saturday were a sight to behold. Even when we were gearing up the parking lot we had bugs all over us. That's the Trico hatch.
Shane Stalcup's CDC Biot Comparadun will catch you fish throughout the hatch. I tie a slightly easier version of the fly. My recipe for it is in my last blog post if you want to tie some of your own. That fly was my "go-to" on Saturday and it did not disappoint. A resident Cuttbow up there that I have caught before was enjoying his breakfast before I showed up. Apparently his name is "George" and he is not easy to catch. It took me over 20 casts to hook him, but the effort was well worth it and his "performance" trying to get off was typical of a fish his size.
As the hatch progressed the spinners began falling to the water. It's hard to explain a Trico hatch of this magnitude so I'll just show you what I'm talking about.
What appears to be mist is actually my favorite hatch of the year. Bugs in numbers like this bring up some of the best fish and I can't describe how rewarding it is to catch them using size 22-26 dry fly patterns. They key is to arrive before all of the spinners have fallen so wake up early and get after them!
You will notice that as the water becomes covered with the spinners the fish will become pickier. If your comparadun pattern stops working then switch to a spinner with spent wings. If that doesn't work, go smaller. If you find a fish in a "feeding groove" eating spinners then get your fly in front of the fish in its feeding rhythm. You'll have a better chance of hooking said trout! When the majority of bugs are no longer in the air and on the water, try sinking your fly or even nymphing a spinner (or two) below a short indicator rig. The 2nd fish below was caught on a sunken Trico spinner.
Trico's are an interesting mayfly and what they lack in size they definitely make up for in numbers. Their hatching and mating (males and females) occurs late at night and early in the morning. I caught some fish recently right before dark at Deckers so don't rule that out as well. What looks like little evening olives are actual male Trico's so have a fly with a black body and an upright wing.
However, in the morning is where it's at for Trico's! With the hot days we have been experiencing here in Colorado you need to get on the water early. As the nights cool the hatch will start later and later, but well into October and even November. The clouds of bugs at Elevenmile this past Saturday were a sight to behold. Even when we were gearing up the parking lot we had bugs all over us. That's the Trico hatch.
As the hatch progressed the spinners began falling to the water. It's hard to explain a Trico hatch of this magnitude so I'll just show you what I'm talking about.
What appears to be mist is actually my favorite hatch of the year. Bugs in numbers like this bring up some of the best fish and I can't describe how rewarding it is to catch them using size 22-26 dry fly patterns. They key is to arrive before all of the spinners have fallen so wake up early and get after them!
You will notice that as the water becomes covered with the spinners the fish will become pickier. If your comparadun pattern stops working then switch to a spinner with spent wings. If that doesn't work, go smaller. If you find a fish in a "feeding groove" eating spinners then get your fly in front of the fish in its feeding rhythm. You'll have a better chance of hooking said trout! When the majority of bugs are no longer in the air and on the water, try sinking your fly or even nymphing a spinner (or two) below a short indicator rig. The 2nd fish below was caught on a sunken Trico spinner.
Another thing that can happen is because there are so many fish rising it can be hard to focus on just one. Do that. Focus on the best fish you can see or a fish close to you and keep casting to it until you get a take. Trust me.
I fished with some friends (The Stroman's) and they also caught some nice fish! Experiencing the Trico hatch is one thing, but being able to geek out on mayflies with some fishing friends really brings it all full circle. Enjoy the pictures below and don't forget to follow me on Instagram @mayflymusings.
Until next time, tight lines everyone!
I fished with some friends (The Stroman's) and they also caught some nice fish! Experiencing the Trico hatch is one thing, but being able to geek out on mayflies with some fishing friends really brings it all full circle. Enjoy the pictures below and don't forget to follow me on Instagram @mayflymusings.
Until next time, tight lines everyone!
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