By Shannon Messer
As we make our way into the summer months, our fly selections tend to change to classic dries, such as the Male Adams, Royal Wullff, Yellow Sallies, and Caddis, just to name a few. I believe that we should start shifting our thought process to other productive patterns, the terrestrials.
I really started focusing a lot of energy to fishing terrestrials a few years ago and was somewhat disappointed in myself for not doing so sooner. Often, we find ourselves casting to rising trout, possibly sipping tiny dries, in the hope that we can excite a strike. At times, however, these efforts bear no fruit, other than being in the beautiful outdoors. I enjoy my surroundings, but I would like to land more fish, and have found that fishing terrestrials, stepped up my summer fishing.
If we are conscience of our surroundings, we will see so many of nature’s creatures waiting to be gobbled up by an opportunistic trout. Many times, we take for granted how many ants, beetles, hoppers, and crickets exist around the stream. Just think what happens when the breeze blows a terrestrial into the water, or a hopper makes an ill-advised leaping attempt that works out against them…A trout is probably just waiting for a ready made meal with protein value!
Let’s start with the basic of all patterns to tie and fish, the Hard Body Ant. I like mine to have a section of red thread, a section of black thread, and Krystal Flash, to represent a wing of a flying ant. I do, however, coat the thread with thin UV resin for durability, and I like the way it looks.
Japanese Beetles and Foam Beetles work very well, either fished on top or subsurface. I like drifting a beetle below one of my own patterns that I call the Hopilator. I often take larger trout with this basic setup in the wild streams in North Carolina. Also, if you like fishing all day, terrestrials are always active- which, again, make it a great choice to fool a trout.
The other thing to keep in mind, is how many anglers do you know that fish terrestrials? Often, when I mention terrestrials to customers in the shop, I get a strange look. I was that way once, until I found out what I had been missing. I suggest tying or picking up a few ants, beetles, and hoppers to try this summer. I think that you will be happy when you get an awesome tug on the end of the leader.
Shannon Messer is the Manager of Blackrock Outdoors/Orvis Fly Shop located in Sylva, NC.
