“In between” Hatches

Spring is fleeting. As anglers, we anxiously await for spring to arrive so that we can break cabin fever, get on the water, and get our first shot at rising trout after a long winter. And regardless of whether you get out regularly, or just a few days during the start of the spring season, it comes and goes in a blink. Mid spring to early summer fishing isn’t so bad though. In many places it means the first consistent evening hatch activity of the season, and new hatches to enjoy as the hatches progress from early spring to late spring on your given river. It would be too easy however if this transition occurred so seamlessly. On most water, there is a gap, referred to by many and here as “ in between hatches” that references that lull in bug activity between the strong early spring hatches and eager fish that rise to them, to the next stage of late spring/early summer bugs that get the fish rising again albeit this time with a better education. This lull can be painful and frustrating while on the water during what seems like a beautiful day, yet minimal activity. Depending on the region you fish and diversity of waters offered there, being observant as to the start, peak, and fading of bug life during the early spring hatches can help you make better decisions on the water during the “ in between” hatch period, so that you remain on water with bugs and rising fish.

KNOW THE BUGS AND WATER TYPE THEY’RE FOUND IN

Early season, the choice on where to fish is usually temperature based. You look for the warmest water where the fish are most likely to be active and the bugs have matured fastest to find the first surface activity of the season. As all the rivers in a given region rise to temps where the trout (and bugs) are active, more factors should influence the decision making process on where to fish.

First, its important to know the bugs and hatch progression on the streams in the area you are fishing. Reason being that certain bugs hatch best in certain water types, and knowing the correlation between bugs and water type helps bridge the “in between hatches” gap. For instance, the March Browns are often the next big bug that anglers look forward to after the hendricksons have faded in the east. This bug is VERY water specific and often is found in faster moving water, and in my experience is more of a “set your watch” bug on freestone waters. This matters when things start getting stale on usually slow moving tailwaters as the in-between hatch lull sets in. Seek out the habitat where the next wave of bugs is likely to thrive, and you will see those bugs appear on a more reliable basis. This is sometimes counter intuitive as tailwaters are viewed to be the most consistent fisheries. But let me remind you- nothing is worse than a day of no bugs on a slow moving tailwater. So make the right decision.

 

PAY ATTENTION TO HATCH STRENGTH AND DURATION

Being observant as to what is happening bug wise during each outing is important, not only for that day’s success but for decision making down the line as the season progresses. The “guessing game” that is choosing the right stretch to fish is a fun mental aspect of “the hunt” and enjoyment this sport provides, but you can make informed choices on where to fish based on prior outings on a given year, or even past seasons.

For example, most times anglers are familiar with not only the bugs they expect to see now, but what hatch will be next later in the season. Be aware of that. When fishing a given stretch, are you seeing black stone flies and hendricksons? If yes, that usually means you are in the early stages of the Hendrickson hatch. Oppositely, are you seeing hendricksons and apple caddis? If yes, that likely means you are in the middle to the end of the Hendrickson hatch since the apple caddis come on after the hendricksons and are a clear indicator that the hatch cycle is progressing onward. This is especially true if on a given day the hendricksons are weak but the apple caddis are super strong. To me that would indicate the Hendrickson hatch is fading, with the only exception to that being perhaps strong sunlight shut the mayflies down. There is no perfect way to know- but these types of observations help, and should impact your decision making should you fish that same stretch soonafter.

A GOOD STRATEGY HELPS: REMAIN FLEXIBLE

The above are some things that help in making decisions during the in-between hatch season. However, the in-between hatch window is inherently unpredictable and its important to be conscious of the fact your choice of water for the day could be wrong. To limit the risk of a blown day, keep your options open by setting up shorter floats, and select stretches of river that offer other nearby options so you can switch it up in a short amount of time if you feel a piece of water you’re on is dead and in the doldrums. Floating more of the same dead river is usually not a solution to the problem, but having a quick second and entirely separate piece of water within striking distance can be. Whether you call in the shuttle late, fish with 3 in the boat and set up two cars at two different downstream take out points ( one short, one long- which is perhaps the only time it makes sense to have 3 in the boat) or some other crafty way of giving yourself options, I have found this helps save the day at times.

If you fish a lot, another thing you can do is spread your time around right or around the time you suspect the “in between hatch “ period may be starting. Personally, Some days I wade and/or float a combined 2-3 rivers on a given day just to get a sense of what the bugs are doing on each river. That day or days may be a sacrificial lamb where I concede moving around may cause me to miss some good fishing on a given river, but sets me up for the next 2-4 weeks so that I can get a sense of where each river is in terms of hatch progression. If you lock in on one stretch or piece of water for the entire early season, you lose touch with what the other rivers are doing ,and in turn limit the information you have to transition successfully throughout the season. Finally, as a matter of pure entertainment, its more fun enjoy numerous stretches anyway rather than experience deja vu catching fish in the same pool/stretch all season.

HAVE FISHY GARBAGE FEEDING PATTERNS

Sometimes you get lucky even when in between hatches. The bugs aren’t great but the fish are rising for some reason. Usually, by this time though they are not stupid. They have been pounded on patterns that represent the early season bugs that have faded, and are not yet interested in the bugs that have barely started to trickle off or haven’t even started yet. In these situations, you need good “garbage feeder” patterns. This typically means flies that are medium to small in size, low lying in the film, and generally imitate food items that fish see on a regular basis which have the effect of causing them to eat them all season. If you are a match the hatch fisherman- these are usually flies u have 1-2 of and need to desperately dig deep for in moments of frustration. My favorite garbage feeder flies are (1) a small cdc blue wing olive in size 20-22, (2)a Lafontaine caddis pupa in any color but grey, tan, olive are the three big ones I use (3) a hackle wing spinner in a size 16-20 (4) a Griffiths gnat (5) small spent caddis in size 18-20. If you see a sipper and nothing appears to be on the water, you need good flies to trick what will likely be a bitchy fish.. My last middle finger attempt is the dropper 6” below the dry.