The inland trout season ended in fine fashion. Sunny days were the rule for the last few days of the season. From numerous reports, anglers had mixed results. Our day began and ended well. A beautiful true 16″ brown was hooked and landed in the first 30 min. The action continued in spurts all day long. Doug and I had a similar day last year during the last week of the season. This year was a bit better and neither one of us thought that the sunny weather would let us have a repeat of the great day we had last season.
Part of the reason for our success was because the B-52’s showed up again. These bugs had been out in mass for the last week of the season and provided my clients some great fishing. The B52’s are a nick name that I have given to the large water beetles that are flying about at this time of year on all of the rivers in Pierce county that I fish and guide. These beetles are lumbering fliers and hit the water with a big splat. The beetles most of the time immediately swim to the bottom and bury themselves in the silt or sand. As they awkwardly swim about they are easily picked off by the trout. The water beetle provides a big meal for the trout, and they gorge themselves on this high calorie food source. Above is a nice picture of my friend, so remember this for next year. I have never seen a commercially tied pattern for this “hatch”. This big beetle is one to have tucked away in the corner of your box. It would be interesting to see what different patterns you might come up for this beetle. It can be our little secret for those who know about this beetle.
The beginning of the search for the monsters of Superior’s tributaries is right around the corner. I will keep you posted.
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Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackAndy,
Dick Frantes called this the “turtle fly” due to its flattened, olive brown body. The underside is quite a bit lighter than the top. Dick asked me to make an imitation, and I tied one with two hen pheasant body feathers tied flat, one on top of the other, and trimmed to shape. Mike Alwin had a handful of them at his shop, and Dean Hanson apparently bought one for his display of imitations along with his trays of real stream wigglers.
It’s a big, meaty bug, about the size of a nickle. I’ve been hit in the face a few times by flying turtles, and it stings.
I think they spend most of the trout season on land, and then return to the water late in the season. It will never be more than a corner of the fly box pattern because they’re available to the fish for such a short time. There was one big fish in your neighborhood that I tried to catch for three years, and then I got him on a sunny September day when he was tearing up the pool for turtles.
Perry
A very cool story. Years back when I took a few fish home for mama’s dinner one late September day. I saw the bugs but I never put 2 and 2 together until I was amazed to see how many of those bugs were stuffed into the stomach of the fish I cleaned. I never forgot that and sat down and tied an imitation for the next year. I bet that was 20 years ago. I don’t see the flying turtles/B-52’s every year though.
Well…they don’t look that appetizing to me. 😉 I would have to guess that in a trout’s world there are a few more B-52 type bugs that us fly fisherman have yet to discover.
D
When these things hit you in the head you know it. I may suggest someone coat them in chocolate and get them into a booth at the State Fair. They probably taste like chicken. Might be a money maker.
I think you guys are blowing some thick smoke on this b-52 stuff. My diagnosis is end of season delerium/depression. There are meds you can all take for this.Good luck!
John
Sometimes the BS can run thick among fly anglers. I will admit to that. Sometimes it is impossible to sort through it, especially since so many fly anglers are finding “better living(and stories) through chemistry” especially the prescribed meds you speak about. Yes there is some delirium, for me especially, at the end of the season. But one sunny September day you will be out fishing your favorite Western Wisconsin stream and one of these bad boys will latch on to your neck and try and draw some blood, or fly into your ear canal and scratch around for a bit. As you slap the side of your head so hard it makes your ears ring you will remember “The Goat” and the smoke he was blowin’. Great job at sniffing the bait but not getting hooked.
I thought a bird had dropped a splat on me until I saw the brown bug I brushed off hit the water. I don’t smoke. Fortunately, the trout that day were fooled by hoppers that plopped onto the surface, too.
Sarah
I am glad you don’t smoke:)
You may have solved a mystery for me. Late in the year I would have occasional fantastic success on the Kinni with a Leadwing Coachman as a dropper on a wet fly rig. There were times when fish after fish would hit as the fly hit the surface. I always thought that the fly represented a late in the year Isonychia. It wouldn’t always work, but when it did it was gangbusters. Who knew?
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