Flyfishing in late summer can be a much more challenging endeavor at times depending on where you are, what time of day and what if any type of insects are on the water. And even when you do get some insects, the refusal rate of your drifts can often seem exponentially higher than your success rate as you frantically try to figure out what the trout are eating. A majority of the bugs seem to either be done or are smaller in size, the fish are at that tipping point in the season where they have had just about everything under the sun thrown their way and their tolerance for a sloppy drift, bad cast or the same parachute Adams for the ten thousandth time has made them a little tight lipped. Add into the equation that the water is typically lower and clearer and you have concocted a much different scenario from the swollen waters of spring with fish a little more easily fooled.
Although every season the conditions are a bit different and not always the way just depicted, that usually is the case. And despite having the odds stacked in the trouts favor, late summer still provides a great opportunity to grow as an angler, fine tune your technical skills and learn; a situation I love. Middle of the day fish although difficult, are still attainable, even though you might not catch as many most days, you might very well get rewarded with some high quality fish who are randomly feeding on what I call “extras” in the drift.
Any time we think of terrestrials and fishing them, most folks immediately think of hoppers, maybe a beetle, sometimes an ant, rarely if ever a bee or wasp. Hoppers although effective at times, aren’t quite as much of a thing for us here in the Northeast as they are out west or down south, but they do have their moments. Beetles, ants and even bees or wasps on the other hand, are something that our fish see regularly and are feasted on just as frequently. The key to success during opportunistic feeding times lies in the design of these patterns, and I am here to share a few key elements with you today that should be in consideration when you tie or select them from your local shops.
Bee or wasp patterns at one time in history were very popular in many a flyfishermans fly box, but for one reason or another they sort of fell out of popularity and kind of disappeared. I still carry them in my summer arsenal, and for good reason. They not only work, but often work well for larger difficult fish. Like my ants, I prefer mine to ride under the film as most of the deceased naturals do the same from my observations as they too get swamped and hang under the film in the same manner as an ant. The pattern below has accounted for a good number of fish while out west just last week, so believe me when I say they still work quite well. Don’t discard those high floating all foam variations however, they will work great when you happen to witness a fresh bee hit the water.
Below is the recipe for the bees I like to fish, tied on the same Firehole 315. The fun part with tying bee patterns is you can make these guys as big as you choose. I carry a few from size 14 up to a whopping #8 for those larger bumble bees that sometimes end up in the wash. My go to size like the ants is a size 12 as it makes a great honey bee or wasp representation, but you can have fun mixing this one up, its a relatively easy tie and won’t eat up much of your time. Have a few in a yellow n black color combo and brown wasp and you should have your bases covered.
Buzz Viper
Hook: Curved Emerger, Firehole 315, Daiichi 1167, TMC 2487 size 14-8
Thread: 8/0-6/0 black, yellow or brown
Rear end: Yellow or brown Uni Stretch
Rib: Black or Amber medium wire
Wings: Sparkle Emerger Yarn or EP Trigger Point
Front end: Foam Cylinder 3/16″
Dubbing: MFC Special Sauce Caddis Black or Caddis Variant
Legs: Fine or Medium Rubber or Barred Sexi Floss