Copepods I need a pattern

[Tony]

I've been fishing a small lake not too far from where I live and for the last week the fishing has been getting slower and slower, last Fri. the fish were really keying in on chironomids so I had a fantastic day but since then the fish have been switching over to copepods, I took a sample on Wed. and it was a mix of chironomids and copepods heavy on the copepods, yesterdays sample yielded nothing but copepods and the fish are just packed with them. I tried a small pattern I designed to look like a little red mass using seal and rabbit mixed but got no takes, I just fished it under a bobber no retrieve. I'm looking for a pattern to use in situations like this that will give consistant results, does anyone have one?
tony

[Philster]

sometimes a small shrimp/scud pattern tied with translucent materials and a clear plastic shellback has worked for me.

[cabezon]

Hi Tony,

Not trying to be too technical, but do you mean copepods (Cyclops, Calanus in sw, etc.) or water fleas (Daphnia, etc.)? Egg Lake, on San Juan Island, has huge aggregations of Daphnia and the hatchery trout loll at the surface scarfing the schools down in the evening. Regardless of whether you're talking about copepods or water fleas, they are so small and transparent that it would be a real challenge to tie a fly that matches either. At 1-2mm in length, you're talking about a tiny hook. I did find this strange pattern that attempts to imitate a cluster of Dapnia (http://shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/477.htm), but I'm not as convinced as the author that its worth the trouble. Here is another attempt at imitation (http://www.danica.com/flytier/hverhaar/daphnia.htm). When I'm in these situations, I strip a black flashback hare's ear or a damsel nymph. See if a decent meal will catch their attention.

Steve

[Philster]

Hi Tony,

(http://shop.flyfishing.about.com/fly_archive/details/477.htm), but I'm not as convinced as the author that its worth the trouble. Here is another attempt at imitation

Steve

Yeah, trouble indeed. Reminds of 5 or more years ago in fly fisherman there was a mayfly egg cluster pattern. basically looked like a pretty little constelation of stars on a goofy small hook. Real eyeroller. My transparent scud approach is similar to your approach. Translucence, a little flash, and the hope that a mouthfull is more attractive than more of the same "soup" :thumb:

[steeli]

In my experiences when a strong daphne bloom shows up in spring, the fishing slows way down. I"ve tried various attractors and get the occasional fish, but very tough to get consistent action. I usually head to another lake if the water is literally clouded with these (sometimes the hatch can be near the bottom, othertimes near the surface).

[Nick Riggs]

Does anyone think that a daphnia pattern (real small and real transparent) would work during a daphnia bloom? Even if it wouldn't, I am going to try to tie one, I heard that it is "impossible".

[hikepat]

Tie something that looks like a batch of them little fellows. A bunch of the right colored marabou on a hook will work as well as the right color of wooly bugger. I have had some luck simply letting the fly sit at the right depth with only the smallest amount of movement. It can be like watching a bobber all day but it will put fish to hand for release when nothing else will. I kind of lucked into this one day when after throwing fly after fly at them and nothing was working when I started to catch and land fish with a wooly bugger just sitting under the kayak about 15 feet down. I had gotten so frustrated I was just sitting still with the fly hanging directly below the boat from a full sinking like and a short leader. I was just sitting there because I was tired of rowing and casting all day long without a bite and was just sitting still taking in nature. Suddenly the rod bent with a fish on and I took a few more by going back to the same depth and letting it sit. I have now on 3 or 4 other occasions run into the same thing and this style of fishing seems to work each time, to one degree or another. The hardest part was finding just the right depth to let the fly sit

[Daryle Holmstrom]

My throat pumps over the years from all lakes I've ever fished in show the copepods. They'll usually eat these when there is no bigger food. Trout need to eat and eat what is available. Maybe try a smallish olive scud as mentioned above or try either some search patterns such as leeches or buggers or chiros which are coming on now.

Daryle

[PETI]

Maybe this will help

http://www.diptera.co.uk/patterns/d/daphnia_log.html

http://flytyingworld.com/PagesJ/jl-dark_daphnia_cluster.htm

Peter

[Daryle Holmstrom]

Here's a pattern:

http://www.danica.com/flytier/hverhaar/daphnia.htm

[Tony]

I've been out of town for a couple of days so this is my first chance at a response to the sudden flurry of responses to my question. Yes copepods not the other tiny things and I really wasn't thinking of trying to copy individual bugs but hopefully a mass. I haven't had time yet to look at the links but they sound interesting and I will be looking at them, as far as everything else yes attractor patterns will work somewhat but I'm thinking the fish are just going for the easy meal rather than anything they have to work for, they won't even go for chironomids and they were hatching in huge numbers, so tiny jerky and red that they can just filter feed was what the fish were wanting. I did talk to a guy that told me size 20 or smaller blood worms work sometimes who knows and you might be right it might not be worth the hassel.
tony