Bug Books?

[lostnwilderness]

Trying to find the best material for fishing based Entomology (bug life cycles).  Stole these ideas from another thread.  Anyone got any additional input or thoughts on these recommendations? 

Hatches II - Caucci and Nastasi
Handbook of Hatches - Dave Hughes
Aquatic Entomology - McCafferty

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[Phil]

It depends on where you are fishing.

Hatches II - Caucci and Nastasi -- very technical. You may not need that in the southeast.
Handbook of Hatches - Dave Hughes -- better, but still very technical.

You will only need any of those expensive books if you are fishing the SoHo, and maybe not even then. Generally, see what flies are coming off. If they are yellow, put on a sulphur. If they're olive green with slate wings and it's cloudy, put on a BWO olive dun. If they're not taking the dries, put on a sulphur emerger or a BWO emerger. If they're a different color, put on an Adams parachute.
If they aren't taking those, a 20 stripper midge.

During a hatch, it's usually basically color and more importantly -- size. And no drag.

If it's a caddis hatch, tie on a EHC in tan, yellow, olive, or black -- depending on what color the flies are. Save money on the expensive books, unless you want to get into the "hatches." 



Drag-free drifts are the key, no matter what fly you use. Spending a bunch of money on books won't address that. 

It works for me. Maybe some of the real experts here will give you better info....

 

[lostnwilderness]

Phil, you match hatches the same way I do.  I was wanting to start tying again and was more just interested to have something to study at night.  I fish at most 10 patterns I swear that's all you need as long as you can drift em!  Honestly, 70% of the streams I fish I use 3 patterns on top, EHC, F. Adams (i think the yellow helps) and Royal Wulff.  That's it and the fish don't care!!!

[troutphisher]

Two good books I would recommend are,

Fishbugs
(The aquatic insects of an eastern fly fisher)

By Thomas Ames Jr.

This book has excellent color photographs of real insects in amazing detail.


Mayflies

By Ted Fauceglia.

This book also has amazing photography, with some insects in different life cycles, including many photos of split case emergers in the film. The detail in the images is the best I have ever seen.



Both of these books cover only insects, and and only suggest a few patterns. There are no recipes of tyeing materials listed. They are simply some of the best pictures of insects of the eastern hatches.

[jwgnc]

Selective Trout by Carl Richards and Doug Swisher.  Great photos.  Drawings by Dave Whitlock.