I was fishing Pass yesterday in swirly hurricane like winds when a callibaetis hatch happened about 1:30pm lasting until 4pm. It was a strong hatch and the sailboats were about a size 12! I don't fish Pass Lake much but it was a first for me and I don't remember reading about a callibaetis hatch there. I popped the first fish off then landed 5 in the next 2.5 hours. I was under gunned for those winds w/ a 3 weight. A friend I was fishing w/ had 15 interviews and half a dozen hook ups. Is anyone familiar w/ a callibaetis hatch at Pass? I thought it was unusual on the 7th of April and on that lake.
Happened Saturday as well, same exact time of day and quite an abundance of them. Guessing you saw a lot of swallows swarming the lake as well. I also thought it was really unusual, not to mention their large size and dark coloring. Dry flies placed by sight...they didn't care what pattern or color but size and presentation were everything. All rainbows with some fat - they'd rise and pause in waives. Also found a good number of browns but not under this hatch...had their own agenda as usual.
Callibaetis are (by far) the most likely mayfly to be found in stillwater. I would expect the vast majority of lakes to have them, although not necessarily in sufficient number to constitute a "fishable hatch." Their (warmer water months) lifecycle is only ~2.5 months, so they have multiple generations per year, the last of which will overwinter as a nymph. As a result, the 1st emergence of the year tends to yield somewhat larger mature nymphs, with succeeding generations diminishing in mature body length by ~2mm per generation.
I was in on the fun. Fish in the shallows were rising to a size 14 Adams with an orange CDC parachute ( though I missed most of them by striking either too soon or too late).
ahh the pass callibaetis hatch. ive had some epic days. its super sporadic but when it happens its usually on, they go nuts for em. caught some niiice browns pickin apart their lairs during hatches. patience, windblown shorelines and good casts get em. but i didnt have to tell fenders that. after almost 10 months vacation, i'll be returning to "the office" once again. see you out there guys.
A few more observations after 3 times working this hatch... -It starts and finishes at a different time each day, but generally falls late morning/early afternoon. -Today was more challenging than yesterday since there was no wind and the water was glass...visibility was "too good." -The length of the hatch is getting shorter, but so far it's still the major meal of the day...lake is pretty quiet at non-hatch (another push happens at surface when dusk goes dark but everyone's gone). -I've heard a lot of guys say the strikes aren't sticking...I found dry flies are sitting too high on the water and most strikes are a rolling sip vs. aerial...timing won’t matter when they aren't catching the point to take it under. Your whole life will change with a good emerger. I went with this and never looked back...level of interest is the same but one fly sticks and the other doesn't. -Beauchamp, you can skip this one... Only saw rainbows under this hatch last weekend and set out after the browns this time...yes, they're involved, plenty of them. Not surprisingly, the better ones are holding to cover and playing ambush, i.e. search against overhang, etc. Most of mine were pretty low key on the take, then count to 3 and it's off to the races. I watched the guy next to me hit a good one as well...same thing, just off the overhang. -This won't last, so if you go sooner is better than later. -Main thing is just be patient and, if you're new to working a hatch like this, try for one or two (or even just strikes) and be happy with it. These don't happen often enough so enjoy the onslaught of rising fish. Hope that helps. Have fun out there. One from today
Excellent advice FF. I was out there again today and everything you said makes sense. I've been missing strikes with a parachute Adams, so I'll be tying some of those emergers for a return trip tomorrow. I did manage to bring a 23-inch brown to the net, though. A personal best, it took me almost down to the backing.
Gary LaFontaines' Halo Emerger is a great fly to use during a hatch: http://www.washingtonflyfishing.com...ayfly-swap/p27235-gary-lafontaine-halo-e.html
Good Advice Mr. Fenders, I am not a lake expert but I stumbled onto that exact fly last year. That Challenged Calibaetis worked every day in the spring/early summer for me.
Wish I had it on Sunday. The hatch came off on the far end of the lake around 1:00 and lasted about an hour. I fished a parachute adams and hit a fish right off the bat, about a 17" bow then the lake was just flat with risers everywhere, but no looks or swirls towards my fly for about a half hour. Then at the tail end of the hatch and a little chop I ended up with two more takes that did not stick. Sunday was a super slow day and that bow just after 1 was my first fish of the day. I did end up landing three more later on chironomids but overall one of my worst fish numbers day on the lake but the change of action on the mays made it not seem all that bad. Ira..
oh fenders! dishin out the emerger secret are we??? since switching to emergers ive made a huuuge improvement in hookups. and i generally get more eats as well.
Sean, I can tell how much you miss the office. It's been a lot of work covering your shifts. When are you coming back...I need a vacation.
have seen the this hatch a few times before on other lakes. always seems I am on a lake with dumb trout in it when this hatch comes off. fish never even rise or anything most of the time i have seen, except for the few times in eastern wa lakes. thats when i have had some good activity from trout.
These are my Callibaetis imitations developed, over the years, to imitate (mostly) the Callibaetis of eastern Washington lakes. The nymph is deliberately tied thin and sparsely to represent the slender and actively swimming Callibaetis; the emerger started out as a pattern shown me by a friend and based on a fly tied "by an old-timer at Chopaka". I've made a few modifications to it over the years and it has proven to be extremely effective. The dun is a simple parachute pattern. The nymph can be fished most effectively for up to an hour or more before the actual emergence begins and the emerger can be fished effectively throughout the hatch, sometimes producing strikes even when there are only a few duns left on the surface. At some times the fish show a decided preference for the dun and it's necessary to have a reasonable imitation. I do tie an imitation of the spinner but have only rarely found situations where the fish find enough of them to become selective.
