Fly Fishing Tips: Match the Hatch

Maddlers are peculiarly great in there presentation if ripped across tailing reds to mid-water grass trout on the skinnies of a falling tide, where as switching to a sea nymph or smaller nymph or wet fly such as a crawler pattern on that of a rise with most defiantly take most to the bite in angling Fall Fly Fishing Patterns. A few new hatches will arrive during the fall but for the most part, all is done and over with the exception of the hardy mosquito and such if we here in south Florida have a mild winter. Otherwise, fall is the last of the big hatches and hatches in saltwater mean not only matching the hatch of that bug on the wall but to that minnow next to the transom! Match the hatch and catch the fish, I cannot say this enough; match the hatch!

Every time you clean your bag, check out the guts and just see what was being feed on that day and try to reflect back on all that happened. I remember at the launch as we slipped our yaks into the water something nipping at my legs and forearms to neck; no see'ums I figured and applied my favorite sun block mixed with bug juice (repellant). I then glanced the waters edges, at the slight drop-offs near the sandy patches and their they were, glass minnows; they love no see'ums. I pulled out my fly box and looked for the closest match I had to a glass minnow and figured this would be my starting line up for the morning, a Jansen Minnow, as I moved out from the dock and into the bay. Remembering, match the hatch. Once into open water off the Alley, the bugs disappeared as the sun, rose and it warmed. Looking about, rings were forming and the occasional gulp on the surface of a feeding trout. While over the skinnies of the grass, I noticed tiny white to brown objects jetting between the blades. Sometimes a small crab Charlie Chap lined across the sandy splotches with larger fish right on their heels. Matching the hatch meant shrimp or crab patterns and guaranteed hook ups and lots of fun.

On the setting sun, we were returning when a flying regiment of mosquito bombers hit us, repellant or no repellant along with a number of yellow or white butterflies; beauty and the beast. Back out came the fly tin and a switch to a Andy Woven fly Standard dry came to mind, with my infamous flitch and twitch. Back at the ramp, upon cleaning our slot keepers I noticed they all had the sane things in common: bugs, minnows, grass shrimp and little crabs in their stomachs; Match the Hatch to get your "FISH ON!"