Trout mainly eat damsel flies in their aquatic nymph state, a number of that may attain over one inch long. The damsel fly nymph swims through a quick movement of it's abdomen unlike the closely related dragon fly nymph that achieves momentum by forcing water from its backside. When you see a number of electric blue damselflies zooming low over the water's surface you understand that summer time has finally arrived. For anyone who is lucky you may even see trout hurling themselves into the air to grab the big flies. They make a considerable meal for a trout and are eaten wherever they can be found. The nymphs appear to have an inbred healthy fear of Trout for from the moment they're born they head in favor of weed cover. They are generally found in the warmer shallows of the lake but in addition in larger weed beds in open water. Attempt to fish around weedbeds in a water depth of four to eight feet for best success. The nymphs are usually not the best of swimmers but they do waggle their tails as they move. After casting along your preferred water bed allow the nymph to sink several feet. The natural insect often swims one or two feet and then rests. The most effective system to repeat this can be a long retrieve followed by a pause. At the end of this retrieve lift the fly slowly out of the water as there is usually a following trout that can attack the escaping nymph. Damselflies are related to dragon flies (order Odonata) though they're generally smaller and slimmer. Damsel nymphs are fierce predators that feed greatly on insects, small crustaceans and even tiny fish. There are actually 17 different in Britain. The female adult of some of the species is often a dullish green and not the brilliant electric blue body of the males.
Trout will prey on damsel nymphs in the course of the year. The olive, claret or brown colored mature nymphs tend to be more prevalent during late May up till August. The color and time rely upon where in the world you fish. The hottest part of the day either side of noon is the best time to see the mass migration of damselfly nymphs on to dry land. During the first part of the season this pattern may be fished very slowly over the bottom. Damsel fly Nymphs like shallow bays where weed is prolific as they go after decomposing vegetable matter. Cast your nymph as near the weedbeds as possible. Fish this pattern very slowly along the bottom, to represent the insect stalking prey, but occasionally move it along a small distance at a faster speed. Wade down the sides of large, slow pools and fish the fly slowly along the bottom. Cast down and across the stream at an angle and give the nymph time to sink to the bottom. Every now and then use spurt pause spurt retrieve to imitate an attack. Use a three inch strip with your line hand and pause for about ten seconds to permit the water current to drift the fly slightly downstream, afterward strip again. Continue using this method all along the pool. As the fly moves, its tail will wiggle enticingly, just like the real insect's abdomen would do as it swims along.
During the warmer months the nymphs are far more active and wriggle towards the surface, whereupon they proceed to swim to the shore or towards surface weed so as to hatch into the adult damselflies. The moment they make it they crawl up and out of the water. They clamber up anything from an angler’s waders to riverside reeds and rushes. It's during this trek to shore that trout actively go after them. They even seize them whilst there're climbing up reeds ahead of hatching. To mimic this action, fish the fly on a floating line, allowing it sink to the bottom prior to retrieving smoothly so the fly lifts up from the water towards the surface. Where there can be rushes or reeds it is often more productive to cast and retrieve across the shoreline. When they're above the surface level they hatch from their nymphal skin. They battle to liberate themselves for as much as 10 minutes. It requires an extra hour for the new adult, called a 'Teneral', to totally pump up its wings. For the duration of this process they're very susceptible if they have not got clear of the water. On a breezy day many new adults will get blown back on on the water and drown. Throughout mating the coupled flies land on vegetation either in or very close to the water. the female climbs down and into the water and lays her eggs. This final act only occurs while the sun is out. On gray days the adults stay on the shore for the sun to appear.
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