Summertime Limestoners

By Michael Heck 

Talk summertime fly fishing with anyone in the South Central Pennsylvania and they will tell you about tricos and terrestrials.  Day in and out, summer trout are fooled by a stealthy approach, a good cast and a trico or terrestrial imitation.  The Falling Springs, Letort and Yellow Breeches by far are the most popular with this fly fishing community with many others in a large list of great terrestrial streams.

One can expect to find tricos from July through October on our Cumberland Valley streams.  The Falling Spring trico’s are steadily increasing each year.  Spinnerfalls are heavy and lasting 2-3 hours with rising trout to match.  The Letort and Yellow Breeches also host good trico hatches.  One of my favorite places to fish tricos is Pennsylvania’s Spring Creek in State College.  It is well worth the trip!  These tricos are known to bring big trout up to feed.

Early in the season, male tricos hatch after dark ‘til just before dawn and as the season grows through the early morning.  The female duns will hatch from dawn into late morning.  I have on occasion fished the male trico hatch at dusk, but would rather be casting a big cricket rather than a tiny #22.  Our best sizes in the area range from a #20 through a #24, but I’ve been most successful with 22’s & 24’s.

Almost all fly fishermen focus on the spinner-fall.  Spinners will gather over riffles to fall.  The spinner-fall can happen anytime during the morning.  Air temperature is the deciding factor.  A cool & cloudy day can keep the spinners from falling in great concentrated number.  Tricos like sunlight; so, look for the sunny spots if fishing with a canopy of trees.  On a normal hot summer morning, tricos are nearing the water around 8:00am. This gets later as autumn approaches.

 It is important to carry several patters in different sizes, male and female.  During spinner-falls, the trout are extremely picky and fly changes are normal.  I have many times missed a trico-sipping trout, rested the trout and it resumed feeding.  I have seldom fooled that missed trout on the same fly.  So if you don’t have different patterns at hand you can’t change flies.

With such small patterns, light tippets are a must.  If my fly is refused, I change trico patterns or presentation.  But it is summer and there are plenty of land-borne bugs.

Prospecting and fishing with terrestrials will work on any of our area streams.  Ants and small beetles kick off the terrestrial season.  Ants can be found as early as April if the weather is warm enough.

Of all terrestrials, trout can be even more selective when ants are on the dinner plate.  Especially, when the winged ants of late spring find there way to the water.   Some day’s trout can key in on ants and that is all they want.  Sizes can vary from a tiny #24 to the larger carpenter ants on a #12.  Ants can be black, cinnamon, or the areas most popular, the fire ant in bright orange.  Ant bodies can be fir, foam, deer hair, or even lacquered over thread for sinking ants - some having wings and some without.

When trout don’t want tiny ants or large crickets, beetles fit right in.  Smaller beetle patterns may result in a sip, but the larger #16’s and up usually results in a hard gulp.  Some favorites are foam beetles, Crowe beetles and the Jassid. Beetles can be fished to rising trout or used to blindly fish the stream.  If I’m fishing water with a beetle, I go with a #16 and up pattern.  I feel it’s better to throw the main course rather than an appetizer.

In June, crickets come around.  Just go outside at night and listen to the night air to find out when to use them.  Big hoppers are out by late July.  Both are known and famous for big trout and explosive reactions. There are all kinds of hopper and cricket patterns.  Two of the best would be Ed Shenk’s Letort hoppers and crickets.  I use those two most of the time, but have some others on hand.  I have them in sizes from #16 to 2XL.  These two patterns are probably used for searching more than any others.  Fish them tight to undercuts, overhanging grass and just about everywhere else.

Trico and terrestrial fishing is challenging and exciting.  During summer, you can find trout feeding as the sun rises until the sunsets.  Spend your mornings fishing tricos to sipping trout and afternoons casting large hoppers tight to undercut banks.

          So I invite you to come spend a day of a few on our numerous streams.  The area is so fortunate to have such a diversity of trout water.  These streams can challenge the best of fly angler and can treat the beginner to a fine day.  You can contact the Orvis Endorsed Mike Heck’s Trout Guides for guiding and destination trip needs by e-mail trout@mris.com or phone at 717-261-0070.