Help Identify This

Tying flies and the bugs they imitate!
Post Reply
User avatar
njcatchrelease
Posts: 167
Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2018 4:36 pm
Location: Northern NJ
Contact:

Help Identify This

Post by njcatchrelease » Mon Apr 23, 2018 10:21 am

Can someone help identify what these insects are? They were all over the shoreline of the Delaware river on Sunday. I didn't notice them on the water but the covered the shoreline.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh6nuBKn2di ... tchrelease
Tight Lines

User avatar
Pete
Posts: 44
Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2018 11:08 am

Re: Help Identify This

Post by Pete » Mon Apr 23, 2018 10:28 am

Can't give you a species, but most likely some sort of stonefly.

User avatar
njcatchrelease
Posts: 167
Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2018 4:36 pm
Location: Northern NJ
Contact:

Re: Help Identify This

Post by njcatchrelease » Mon Apr 23, 2018 10:38 am

Pete wrote:
Mon Apr 23, 2018 10:28 am
Can't give you a species, but most likely some sort of stonefly.
That is what I was thinking but wasn't sure. Couldn't believe how many there were.
Thanks
Tight Lines

troutfishing4life
Posts: 265
Joined: Sat Apr 21, 2018 12:11 pm
Location: Morris Plains

Re: Help Identify This

Post by troutfishing4life » Mon Apr 23, 2018 11:31 am

looks to be either black or golden stone flies

Matt Grobert
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2018 12:59 pm

Re: Help Identify This

Post by Matt Grobert » Mon Apr 23, 2018 3:32 pm

njcatchrelease wrote:
Mon Apr 23, 2018 10:21 am
Can someone help identify what these insects are? They were all over the shoreline of the Delaware river on Sunday. I didn't notice them on the water but the covered the shoreline.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh6nuBKn2di ... tchrelease
They are dark grannoms - caddisflies - Brachycentrus americanus. They hatch from just under the surface and go airborne almost immediately, that's why you don't see them on the water surface.

User avatar
njcatchrelease
Posts: 167
Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2018 4:36 pm
Location: Northern NJ
Contact:

Re: Help Identify This

Post by njcatchrelease » Mon Apr 23, 2018 3:56 pm

Matt Grobert wrote:
Mon Apr 23, 2018 3:32 pm
njcatchrelease wrote:
Mon Apr 23, 2018 10:21 am
Can someone help identify what these insects are? They were all over the shoreline of the Delaware river on Sunday. I didn't notice them on the water but the covered the shoreline.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh6nuBKn2di ... tchrelease
They are dark grannoms - caddisflies - Brachycentrus americanus. They hatch from just under the surface and go airborne almost immediately, that's why you don't see them on the water surface.
Thanks
Tight Lines

User avatar
Rusty Spinner
Posts: 1225
Joined: Wed Apr 18, 2018 6:35 pm
Location: Flanders, NJ
Contact:

Re: Help Identify This

Post by Rusty Spinner » Tue Apr 24, 2018 1:18 pm

Matt Grobert wrote:
Mon Apr 23, 2018 3:32 pm
njcatchrelease wrote:
Mon Apr 23, 2018 10:21 am
Can someone help identify what these insects are? They were all over the shoreline of the Delaware river on Sunday. I didn't notice them on the water but the covered the shoreline.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh6nuBKn2di ... tchrelease
They are dark grannoms - caddisflies - Brachycentrus americanus. They hatch from just under the surface and go airborne almost immediately, that's why you don't see them on the water surface.
What Matt said. Stoneflies have two sets of wings which can help as well in IDing insects. Those Brachycentrus will look like a snowstorm with the "snow" coming off the water and flying upstream. They are just starting here in NJ which is about a week behind or more. Saw some Sunday evening on the SBR.
"A sinking fly is closer to Hell" - Unknown

Matt Grobert
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2018 12:59 pm

Re: Help Identify This

Post by Matt Grobert » Tue Apr 24, 2018 8:58 pm

Yo, caddisflies also have two set of wings; the difference is that caddis wings sit like a tent over the abdomen, and stonefly wings sit flat over the abdomen. Also, stonefly wings are translucent while caddis wings are opaque - they are covered with tiny hairs. Both wings also have distinct venation. In flight, both are clumsy fliers, but the 2 sets of wings on the stonefly are very discernible as Rusty said, and the wings on caddis tend to blend together in flight.

FYI - Moths look a lot like caddis, but their wings are covered with scales that come off if you touch them and they have no venation.

Matt Grobert
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2018 12:59 pm

Re: Help Identify This

Post by Matt Grobert » Fri Apr 27, 2018 10:27 am

And these caddis and their cousins that will be coming off the rivers shortly, B. Numerosus, live for up to 4 weeks. So its good to carry #14-18 dark caddis dries through late May in NJ. Also, when the water temps reach the upper 50's low 60's the grannoms will come back to the water in the evenings to lay their eggs just before dark. Carry and fish an egg laying pattern in May when you see caddis swarming over the rivers at dusk.

M

User avatar
njcatchrelease
Posts: 167
Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2018 4:36 pm
Location: Northern NJ
Contact:

Re: Help Identify This

Post by njcatchrelease » Fri Apr 27, 2018 3:38 pm

Matt Grobert wrote:
Fri Apr 27, 2018 10:27 am
And these caddis and their cousins that will be coming off the rivers shortly, B. Numerosus, live for up to 4 weeks. So its good to carry #14-18 dark caddis dries through late May in NJ. Also, when the water temps reach the upper 50's low 60's the grannoms will come back to the water in the evenings to lay their eggs just before dark. Carry and fish an egg laying pattern in May when you see caddis swarming over the rivers at dusk.

M
Great info, thanks.
Tight Lines

Johnw
Posts: 119
Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2018 8:52 am
Location: Red Bank NJ

Re: Help Identify This

Post by Johnw » Sat Apr 28, 2018 8:31 am

On several occasions in the Catskills around Memorial Day I've seen masses of bugs flying upstream which I assume are caddis. Never see them on the water and wonder what they are and where they are going.

User avatar
lightenup
Posts: 684
Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2018 12:35 pm

Re: Help Identify This

Post by lightenup » Sat Apr 28, 2018 1:07 pm

Johnw wrote:
Sat Apr 28, 2018 8:31 am
On several occasions in the Catskills around Memorial Day I've seen masses of bugs flying upstream which I assume are caddis. Never see them on the water and wonder what they are and where they are going.
Yes, they probably are caddis and they fly upstream, because some of them deposit their eggs in the drift, and they flow downstream, therefore the eggs end up in approximately the same spot the adults hatched....at least some guy told me that once, makes sense though.

User avatar
Rusty Spinner
Posts: 1225
Joined: Wed Apr 18, 2018 6:35 pm
Location: Flanders, NJ
Contact:

Re: Help Identify This

Post by Rusty Spinner » Fri May 11, 2018 12:40 pm

lightenup wrote:
Sat Apr 28, 2018 1:07 pm
Johnw wrote:
Sat Apr 28, 2018 8:31 am
On several occasions in the Catskills around Memorial Day I've seen masses of bugs flying upstream which I assume are caddis. Never see them on the water and wonder what they are and where they are going.
Yes, they probably are caddis and they fly upstream, because some of them deposit their eggs in the drift, and they flow downstream, therefore the eggs end up in approximately the same spot the adults hatched....at least some guy told me that once, makes sense though.
Same is true for all aquatic insects including mayflies which is likely what he saw with egg sacks so noticeable. They fly well above where their eggs eventually hatch because the eggs float downstream and over the year they live as a nymph or pupa (depending on caddis, mayfly or stonefly), they sometimes just let go of the rock they are on and drift downstream. This is known as the Behavioral Drift and is one of the reasons fishing can be great during what seems to be a non-hatch time. Thousands of them are drifting to new habitat downstream at times. Mother Nature is a wonder.
"A sinking fly is closer to Hell" - Unknown

User avatar
lightenup
Posts: 684
Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2018 12:35 pm

Re: Help Identify This

Post by lightenup » Fri May 11, 2018 12:48 pm

You're a wonder Rusty :D :lol: :P

Post Reply