5 Flys Every Fly Fisher Should Know - Early Season Bugs

BWO? Blue Quill? Quill Gordon? Red Quill? Hendrickson? These are the top early season fly hatches anglers will encounter and need to know to match the hatch while fly fishing. Dave Rothrock and John Kolb discuss these flies and give some details on how to identify these flies.
Make sure you check out some of the other videos John and Dave have done regarding fly fishing.

[@therantingangler]

New video up on mid season flies, you can find it Here! ruclips.net/video/PjqPJuSaj60/видео.html The content in the next video is next level! Dave shares how to identify mid season hatches as well as when you can find these flies on the water.

[@alexargyros7186]

Very helpful, and clear, information. Thanks. Now, a great complement to this video would be one in which Dave discusses his favorite imitations for the various stages of these hatches.

[@daverothrock8372]

Thanks, Alex.

[@debbie1401]

I’m just getting started in fly fishing. I love learning the entomology aspect of it. The information that you guys provide is invaluable. Thank you!

[@therantingangler]

We are glad you found our video and thought it was helpful. We are hoping to do more bug videos in the future!

[@zoshhhbuddd]

Very helpful video! Hopefully a part 2, 3, and 4 comes out as the season goes on!

[@daverothrock8372]

Thanks for watching and time will tell on additional parts.

[@mikeney5113]

Thanks for sharing. Great information for lots of new people

[@daverothrock8372]

Thanks for the comment!

[@DML575]

Very good lesson here, thanks for sharing the intricacies of these flies. Subscribed.

[@daverothrock8372]

Thanks for watching!

[@2gooseman]

Wow great information and fun to watch thanks

[@daverothrock8372]

Thanks for watching.

[@bigo8524]

Wow great explanation and images!! Hope you can cover more hatches. Thanks

[@daverothrock8372]

Thanks. More in the wotks.

[@damonm7541]

I believe the other name for all of those bugs is “size 12-18 Pheasant Tail” - good stuff though, in all seriousness.

[@daverothrock8372]

For some, yes, when we're talking nymphs. Thanks for watching!

[@mrfinsfish745]

Great information 👍 would love to see more

[@therantingangler]

Thanks! We are filming a mid season hatch video tomorrow!

[@dennybowser5533]

Great video and information thanks

[@daverothrock8372]

Thanks for watching!

[@pawoodsnwater7551]

Excellent information Dave and John. Very useful on the stream! Question: What perdigons do I you use for those bugs and what color bead? 😂 just kidding, don’t attempt to answer. Thanks for sharing! 👍🏻

[@therantingangler]

Haha, I’ll let Dave answer that one. Too funny! Thanks for watching!

[@oldsmugglerflyfishing]

Great information.

[@daverothrock8372]

Thanks!

[@beo77]

Excellent!

[@daverothrock8372]

Thanks for viewing!

[@jamesormston8075]

Great video, excellent content

[@daverothrock8372]

Thanks for watching!

[@Pwrcritter]

Tis a puzzlement, like my mom used to say. I saw Hendrickson, Sulfur and Grannoms all hatching at the same time a few weeks ago, and everyone was puzzled and I only managed one.

[@daverothrock8372]

Multiple hatches at the same time can be puzzling, for sure!

[@mikejessmax]

Great video, I'm thinking this must be an Eastern stream? Aside from BWOs, I don't see any of the Hendrikson/Quill type mayflies in the West. We'll go from BWO and March Brown to the larger Green and Brown Drakes, Pale Mornings and Tricos. In some steams we even get a Hexagenia hatch

[@therantingangler]

Yep, we are in PA. We have a good Green Drake hatches and March browns. Wish we had some of the bigger bug hatches like out west.

[@davidbrattain1446]

I've spent a good deal of time studying entomology, tying and fishing. What I have found is that the right "triggers" are more important then an exact imitation in all but the most selective conditions. My keys are; presentation, size, shape, color in that order. Especially in faster water, trout do not have time to closely inspect what is sailing by over their heads and really look for like sized objects that leave the right impression on the surface when viewed from below, then with wings that are visible as the fish closes in on it, then finally, if he has the chance, are there any colors that are close to what the trout would expect to see. Trout don't count tails or segments however and even if the color is off a bit, will most often take it in these situations. What they do see are drag, bad drifts, sloppy presentation and anglers making a commotion in the water.

[@daverothrock8372]

David, while I wouldn't refer to presentation as a "trigger" it is without a doubt of utmost importance. I, too, believe in size and shape being important. As for color, we both know that can vary significantly from stream to stream. Then, there's the color difference between males and females. You're right on with your take on this. Thanks for watching!

[@jamesmccreery250]

Never heard the term "Quills" before referring to insects. I tie quill body dry flies, but always thought they imitated mosquitos.

[@daverothrock8372]

There are a number of mayflies such as blue quill, red quill, black quill and more. Thanks for watching.

[@jeffreyyoung8727]

Great to see.those flies .heathy river

[@daverothrock8372]

Fortunately, PA is blessed with many "healthy" waters. Thanks for watching!

[@NickAndCaroline]

Pretty neat, I’m trying to increase my entomology knowledge! Couldn’t find in the description of the channel where in the US you guys are based out of. Would be helpful for regional knowledge, thanks.

[@therantingangler]

Thanks for watching! We are in Northeast Pennsylvania.

[@NickAndCaroline]

@@therantingangler well I guess I better sub then! Thanks!

[@frankwilliams5475]

Very good video. It would help if you could keep the photo and name in an inset while you are talking about them.

[@daverothrock8372]

Thanks for watching, suggestion noted!

[@jdigioia1130]

That was great - thanks! By the sound of it, you guys must be in the East somewhere?! Tight lines fellas… 🎣

[@jdigioia1130]

Question: any chance that there the article that Dave speaks about at 4:05 is available online? I wasn’t able to find it… Thanks!🎣

[@therantingangler]

Thanks for watching. I don’t believe it is available online. It was written for a magazine years ago. We are in north central PA.

[@jdigioia1130]

Unfortunate, I would hoping to read it…

[@ChasingDreamsLivingLife]

One thing that I have never seen anybody explain or show.... Find an Insect on the river.. Show how to catch it, Discuss what it is, and then open a fly box and talk about finding a fly the right size that imitates this insect. Videos sometimes show a portion of the process, but never the full Process. Great explanation, but useless when it comes to continuing the theory in order to achieve the end goal.

[@jrcll7856]

why the name...Blue Quill..

[@therantingangler]

I don’t know the origination of the name. Maybe because their wings have a blueish tint.

[@Rnh240]

Presentation, size and color. That’s the order of importance. You don’t need to know the Latin names. Actually you don’t even need to know what they’re called at all. You just need a fly that approximates the profile and color of the bugs you observe on the water. And you need to be capable of presenting it well.

[@therantingangler]

This is John, Dave gets a little nerdy when it comes to flies. I love hearing the more specific details. But confess, I’m more of a color, and size type angler myself. Dave likes to sweet talk the trout with their Latin names!!! I do think it’s good for anglers to know how to identify bugs. That helps over time with knowing what patterns you’ve uncovered on a stream at a particular time. Then that helps picking flies that match that pattern. But if I can’t identify one, I go to the fly box and try to pick one that matches size and color. Thanks for watching!