FIND YOUR WATER · WHAT'S HATCHING
The Hatch Chart
By region and month, because that is the question you actually have. What is coming off, roughly when, and the one fly that covers it if you only carry one.
Bugs do not read charts. Neither should you, past about the third glance.
Peak Possible Not really
Desert Southwest
Tailwaters and high-country creeks. Midges all year, which is the whole trick down here.
| What | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MidgesZebra Midge, №18–22 | ||||||||||||
| Blue-Winged OlivesParachute BWO, №18–20 | ||||||||||||
| CaddisElk Hair Caddis, №14–16 | ||||||||||||
| TerrestrialsFoam Beetle / Hopper, №10–14 |
Rocky Mountain West
Runoff owns May and June. The season really starts when the water drops and clears.
| What | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MidgesZebra Midge, №18–22 | ||||||||||||
| Blue-Winged OlivesParachute BWO, №18–20 | ||||||||||||
| CaddisElk Hair Caddis, №14–16 | ||||||||||||
| Pale Morning DunsPMD Comparadun, №16–18 | ||||||||||||
| TerrestrialsFoam Hopper, №8–12 |
East & Appalachia
The classic spring sequence, then it gets warm and you fish early or go after bass.
| What | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue-Winged OlivesParachute BWO, №18–20 | ||||||||||||
| HendricksonsHendrickson Dry, №12–14 | ||||||||||||
| CaddisElk Hair Caddis, №14–16 | ||||||||||||
| SulphursSulphur Comparadun, №16 | ||||||||||||
| TerrestrialsFoam Beetle, №12–16 |
Warmwater — anywhere
Bluegill and bass, in the nearest warm pond. The most reliable fishing in this chart by a wide margin.
| What | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panfish on topFoam Popper / Beetle, №10–12 | ||||||||||||
| Bass on topDeer Hair Popper, №4–8 | ||||||||||||
| Anything, subsurfaceWoolly Bugger, №8–12 |
USING THIS HONESTLY
- 01Elevation moves everything. A creek 3,000 feet higher runs three weeks behind.
- 02Water temperature triggers a hatch, not the calendar. Carry a thermometer before you carry more flies.
- 03Close enough is close enough. Size and silhouette beat exact species, every time.
- 04If nothing is coming off, fish a Woolly Bugger and stop worrying about it.