Time To Un-Match The Hatch

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Courtesy Trout Creek Flies

Courtesy Trout Creek Flies

By Johnny Spillane

Now that is a hatch!

Every year around mid April we start to see Blue Wing Olives on the Green River below Flaming Gorge. Most years the hatch is amazing, some years it is truly epic. This was one of those years. The best part about it, there is no chance to “match the hatch.”

When there are too many bugs on the water, yours gets lost in the numbers. Try throwing something 3-4 sizes bigger than what the naturals are and 9 times out of ten it will be more productive than a perfect imitation.

Check out Trout Creek Flies

Tight lines,

Johnny Spillane

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9 thoughts on “Time To Un-Match The Hatch

  1. This is excellent advice. Not just epic hatches which are few and far between but especially during blanket spinner falls. I’ve seen evenings with literally millions of small sulfur spinners and spent midges in the drift. Throw a big Iso spinner and your chances improve exponentially. Check out the night drift in your headlamp beam – on some nights its quite a mix of helpless edibles. Go BIG or go home.

  2. I hear this alot and while it sounds good in theory I found on the tricky rivers that i fish mostly the upper delaware if the fish are on sz. 22 olives during a blanket hatch you better match that hatch and focus on your timing. I agree you can maybe pick a fish off occasionally using something big but once big wild fish are keyed in on something you have to match that size to be successful.

  3. Gents,

    I agree with both the Author and the followers comments. It all boils down to changing it up when things are working. If you’re dialed in to the hatch with your pattern and even good time isn’t getting it done, then it sure isn’t going to hurt to try a larger pattern that will help you stand out to the trout.

    That said, one other technique I’ve done in this situation is use a dropper of the emerging dun or a drown spinner. Often times, I’ve felt the smarter fish, when fishing pressure is heavy, will tend to eat naturals below the surface for stealth and safety.

    Keep it Reel,

    Kent Klewein

  4. I have had good results swinging a small trout imitation during an epic hatch. The little guys feed with reckless abandon and the big guys will pick them off.

  5. Years ago, during one of those epic caddis hatches on the Yellowstone, fishing was good until there were finally huge rafts of caddis floating along with fish attacking the rafts and grabbing great mouthfuls of bugs. I didn’t stand a chance with my measly elk hair imitation. Later, I ran into a buddy who said he’d done just fine ripping a maribou streamer just under those monster rafts of bugs.

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