Caddis Pupae

"Larry L" wrote in message
...

SNIP
I'm glad to hear Mike say he saw what LaFontaine reported ... my own
caddis
emerger efforts, and I've gotten a couple 'famous' tiers to admit the same
of theirs, come from trying to imagine what a pupa would look like with
bubbles because "they" say the pupa have bubbles. Until I actually see
it
myself, I'll still wonder if the sparkle isn't more attractor than
imitation, I guess


It is not particularly difficult to observe this. You need a tank, ( quite a
small one will do, even a large jar), some larvae, and patience! One can
see the effects quite easily.

One also does not have to dive, ( I have not been diving for years, I feel
too old for it, and my bones don´t like the cold anyway!) one may use a
periscope. These are easily built from plastic pipe. Square pipe, such as
is used for central heating convection, or cooker hoods etc is better than
round, it is easier to fit the mirrors. You still need patience of course,
and a good idea where the beasts are ascending!

The effect is not so much one of isolated bubbles, but of one large silvery
bubble, which reflects the surroundings, and the basic colour may shine
through somewhat. When I first read Fontaines´s findings, I was very
excited, pleased that his results so closely corresponded to mine, and
immediately tied up the patterns, but unfortunately, they did not work very
well for me. My own patterns were better. I have no idea why this should be
so.

Lastly, when the pupae are ascending, they do it quite quickly ( at least
the species I managed to observe did), and they also hatch amazingly
quickly. The trout still pick them off, but they have to be quick, which
often means fast slashing takes. This of course also depends on depth and
speed of flow.

Sometimes movement ( a lift!) helps, sometimes it does not seem too.

The "shrouded" patterns were my best bets in most cases, and usually mixed
light brown ( hares ear colour!), with darker "wings" etc. Often it is very
difficult to determine which species is hatching, but the shrouded silver
patterns tend to catch anyway. In my opinion, on most European streams, the
caddis is far more important than mayflies, and also has a much broader
hatch window. This may also be true of some American streams, but of course
I am only guessing that.

Indeed, were I limited in any way to patterns, I would feel quite confident
on practically any stream, with a range of midges, and caddis.

TL
MC