Longhorn Caddis from loch of Isbister on left and Loch of Skaw on the right Whalsay.
Caddis Feeding Brown trout - Robert Sandison -
Wild brown trout hunt and feed using many different strategies and when they are feeding on the ever plentiful caddis the astute angler can learn much by careful observance of their behaviour. In the following description I will look at the behaviour of wild brown trout and feeding habits in relation to caddis. As an example I will look at the Longhorn caddis as a rough general guide to tactics mainly for dry fly fishing. On the island of Whalsay the Longhorn hatch can be spectacular in the shallow north loch of Skaw where it hatches throughout the loch.
Having spent many years observing this fascinating spectacle my conclusion is that there are at least five distinct methods of attack adopted by the feeding trout when hunting the caddis. The first thing to understand and study is the life cycle of the caddis and the particular species that is being hunted for food. Without going into detail and to simplify things in general we can break it down to several attack strategies adopted by the brown trout.
1. Nymph hunting
2. Sip back
3. Tail sink
4. Smash attack
5. Arial attack
1. Nymph Hunting.
Nymph hunting occurs when the fish take the caddis at the nymph stage of their life cycle just before they reach the surface. The experienced observer will often see a boiling disturbance on the water but no clear sight of a trout. A slow retrieve semi sunk caddis imitation using a floating line will often take fish who are hunting this way. If you wish to target fish who are taking the nymph then it will pay to match the nymph as an imitation fly with the added help of a midge tip.
2. Sip Back.
The sip back occurs when the fish sneak up on the caddis as it sits on the surface prior to lift off. The fish will approach from beneath and suck the caddis down into the mouth. For the angler to be successful my best results have been to leave the fly static on the surface, timing is key when fishing the dry fly and when confronted with a sip back take, as with most dry fly fishing the timing of the strike is crucial. If you strike to soon you will yank the fly from the fish mouth and if you strike to late then more often than not the fish will spit the fly back out before you strike. There are no easy answers and to be successful will involve many hours of practice to get the timing just right.
3. Tail Sink.
The tail sink occurs when a trout approaches the caddis on the surface and endeavours to sink the caddis with its tail before feeding on it. Why they adopt this feeding strategy is peculiar to say the least but it must be a successful tactic otherwise why bother. This is perhaps one of the most difficult trout to catch during a hatch of caddis and one of the most difficult to master when fishing the dry fly. The main reason is that the majority of anglers will automatically strike at the fish and if it’s a large tail breaking the surface panic striking often happens. The main point to remember is to keep the fly static and do not strike even when a big tail appears swirling around the fly, you must allow the fish to sink the dry fly subsurface and when you next see a disturbance near the fly lift the rod gently and you may just hook a trout.
4. Smash Attack.
The sudden smash attack is quite a heart stopping moment especially if it was a large fish and there is very little the dry fly fisherman can do about that sort of attack. If the angler is lucky then the fish will have impaled itself on the fly. With these sort of smash takes it’s not unusual to find the fish false hooked in the tail region as it smashes into the fly and turns 180 degrees virtually at the same instant. Sometimes the angler will be fooled into thinking they have hooked a monster with the fish taking of like an express train leaving the angler believing they have hooked a glass case specimen.
5. Aerial Attack.
The aerial attack speaks for itself and again there is little that the dry fly fisherman can do about it. Occasionally the fish will self hook as it takes the fly on the way down, but a great many times they will miss the fly altogether and often by quite a large margin. In this situation do not strike but leave the fly static on the surface and if you are lucky the fish will have another grab at the fly from below and we are back full circle to when it’s all about the timing and when to lift the rod into the fish.
Dark Longhorn Caddis (Dryfly)
Hook. 12 14 16
Wing. Black antron. Tied so that when fished static remains at right angles to the body of the fly.
Body. Black thread.
Head. Dark red nail varnish. To represent the distinctive eye.
Feelers. Partridge feather.
Some great hatches of the dark longhorn occur in Shetland lochs and have caught some good wild trout with this coorse (rough) and simple but very effective dryfly. Very good floating capability on windy days and first-rate when fished as a single dryfly.
An excellent fly to use if you want to get of the beaten track and cast in the weedy margins of the smaller Shetland lochs that are unfishable with conventional flys. You may be surprised (as I have been) what you can lift from the depths of these unfished places! When lifting some of these better fish you won’t hook them all but at least you will have seen them and will know the potential of the water.
Hook. 12 14 16
Wing. Black antron. Tied so that when fished static remains at right angles to the body of the fly.
Body. Black thread.
Head. Dark red nail varnish. To represent the distinctive eye.
Feelers. Partridge feather.
Some great hatches of the dark longhorn occur in Shetland lochs and have caught some good wild trout with this coorse (rough) and simple but very effective dryfly. Very good floating capability on windy days and first-rate when fished as a single dryfly.
An excellent fly to use if you want to get of the beaten track and cast in the weedy margins of the smaller Shetland lochs that are unfishable with conventional flys. You may be surprised (as I have been) what you can lift from the depths of these unfished places! When lifting some of these better fish you won’t hook them all but at least you will have seen them and will know the potential of the water.
