Most fisheries whether still water or river, stocked or wild will have sections that are tree lined. There will be all sorts of beetles, ants and bugs living on the leaves on the trees and surrounding vegetation.
These insects fall in to a class that fly anglers call “terrestrials”. As the season progesses and the leaves thicken, terrestrial’s will become an important part of the diet of Trout & Grayling. A simple fly like a black and peacock spider or a black spider will imitate a wide range of species and is deadly when fished in the surface film under overhanging trees. Here Trout will often sit on their lie waiting for a free meal to drop from above!
I will be experimenting this year on our Peak District rivers with some patterns for imitating bees and wasps, so will let you know how I get on.
Some of my faviorate patterns are:
- Black & Peacock Spider
- Foam Ant
- Foam Beetle
- Coch-y-Bonddu
For anyone wanting to learn more about flies. “Fishing Flies” by Malcolm Greenhalgh is a fantastic encyclopedia. It is available on Amazon >>
