Terrestrials: Tips and Tactics

As we find ourselves in the heat of the summer, terrestrial insects are growing in importance when it comes to our fish's forage base. Many of these insects require heat to move, eat, and reproduce. And, when water is scarce, our river banks become a hub for bugs looking for much needed moisture. While not a hatch per se, fish become keyed into this seasonal upswell of food availability. In this blog post, we will explore the habits of terrestrials, our best tips to get positive eats, and some patterns to try out.

As their name suggests, terrestrials are of the earth and do not want to find themselves in the water. Fish know these are easy targets. Compared to aquatic insects, terrestrials have cumbersome movements on the water, boding well for imperfect casts. Often an initial thwack onto the water's surface can get the attention of hungry fish.

Anglers have long understood this summer feeding ritual. We are blessed with many fly patterns that allow us to deepen our understanding of fish behavior and eats. Many well known terrestrial patterns exist to imitate grasshoppers, cicadas, ants, crickets, beetles, moths, and inchworms, to name a few. We will get into these in a bit.

But first, lets chat about some common tactics when throwing terrestrials. Banks are the name of the game for terrestrial fishing. Combine that with a a bit of wind, and you’ve got yourself a very fishy day. Our land-based insects typically enter the water within a foot of the bank. Unfortunately for them, their morphology dictates them having little to no exit strategy. That being true, don’t hesitate to throw terrestrial patterns towards slow water in the middle of the river. Foam or small eddies created no matter where in the river, signal collection points, and the fish know that.

Terrestrial insects also represent a calorically efficient meal for fish when compared to nymphs, duns, and spinners. Grasshoppers, for example, can provide a fish with 3x the calories even a stonefly nymph offers. Fish are also looking for what they can get in the heat when aquatic insect flushes have come and gone. Moreover, fish know they do not need to blow up on a helpless beetle or ant. When they can save a little energy by pivoting to a less energy-intensive hunt, they will. Think of how trout will sip spinners but confidently deal a blow to a dun. 

Now, lets get to the bugs themselves.

Cicadas:

Cicada hatches are a favorite among many fly anglers and while the periodicals get the glamour, the annual broods are an important energy source for many species. Cicadas are around 2-inches long and pack a whole lot of protein and fat. To know where to use a cicada pattern, trust your ears. Due to the nature of their life cycle, you will find them concentrated on a few select trees. Their nymphs feed on root sap of large trees and emerge once the soil warms to 64 degrees at depth of 12-18 inches. Climbing their host tree, they prepare for mating. Once the first male cicada begins to sing, others flock to that area. The result is an extraordinary, concentrated symphony. These singing trees are a dinner bell for fish.

Plop your fly under these trees. A good, low cast under tree branches can be tricky but this is a great time to hone that skill. A large splat will get fish’s attention. Occasional twitches can help convince a smallmouth to go for it.

• Patterns: Double Stack Chubby Chernobyl, Deer-hair poppers, large foam bugs

Grasshoppers:

Grasshoppers emerge in late spring and are especially notable come August. These bugs have major caloric benefits for fish when compared to aquatic insects, making them a great meal. On windy days, hopper fishing is at its best as fish are waiting for them to be knocked into the water. Many adult grasshoppers have wings, but their clunky flight patterns are easily knocked off course. I find that dry, windy afternoons make for great hopper fishing as insects are chasing the last of the day's moisture to our waters. 

A nice foam hopper imitation plopped as close as possible to a grassy bank turns out to be quite fishy. If you're casting a bit farther from the bank, try a Dave's Hopper or a parachute hopper which will sit a bit lower in the surface film. This helps convince the fish that the hopper has spent enough time in the water to begin to sink. 

Hopper dropper rigs can be killer too. Many land-based insects slip under the surface film relatively soon after hitting the water. Try tying a drowned terrestrial about 1.5’-2’ below a buoyant foam bug. If the water is deeper, this will ensure you are presenting a target to more fish. 

• Patterns: Dave’s Hopper, Chubby Chernobyl, Parachute Hoppers

Ants and Beetles:

We have many species of small beetles and flying ants here in central Virginia and they are a great food source for our fish. These bugs typically enter the water near the shoreline, so keep an eye out for grassy banks. They soon get swept into nearby riffles. Throwing an ant pattern in these waters has given me a lot of success. Parachute ants can better mimic our flying ant species. Plus, the posted wings can help us track them in the water. If you’re having trouble spotting these small flies, try using some High N Dry Sighter Wax on the wing material.

Ants and beetles, like many terrestrials, have trouble staying on top of the surface film. So if your dry fly starts to get saturated, don’t stress, this can help you achieve a buggier presentation. Ant and beetle patterns with parachutes are designed to ride lower in the surface film. If fish are rising to your fly but are unwilling to commit, sometimes manipulating this small detail of how your fly rides the surface can help seal the deal. To maintain the nearly sinking effect, dust the parachute with a bit of powder floatant and let the butt-end get saturated. The High N Dry Powder Floatant with a Brush Applicator makes this easy to achieve. 

• Patterns: Flying/parachute ants, foam ants, small black caddis, gnat patterns, humpys, red-ass ants

Inch Worms:

Worm imitations are known for their irresistibly, making them a great prospecting pattern and conduit for understanding how to read water. Right now in the heat of summer, inch worms specifically can be a fun variation to the classic Squirmy. Target brush-lined and undercut banks. If there are branches overhead, that is a great indicator that an inch worm pattern could be the ticket. 

• Patterns: Mop Flies, San Juan Worms (try snipping off a bit of material to adjust the length), Greenie Weenie

Damsel Flies:

I would be remiss to not include Damsel flies here even though they are not a terrestrial insect. Female damsel flies climb down the stalk of aquatic plants, cut a slit in the leaves, and deposit eggs therein. That being said, damsels share many attributes with other terrestrial insects when it comes to fly fishing. First, damsels are a major player in the August forage base and second, adults tend to be tied with foam, giving them large, air-resistant profiles like many of the other patterns we have thus far discussed.

You will often see these vibrant blue damsels landing on your raft or gear while on the water. Looking up across the water, you’ll see them dancing around with each other. Damsels are fans of still water, so if you're on a pond, keep a look out for these guys. Subtle twitches on an otherwise natural drift near a bankside cast is a great technique. 

• Patterns: Mr. Wiggly, Adult Damsel patterns, smaller blue poppers.
• Associate Sam has tied some great damsel patterns which you can see in the above photo to the right, grab one of these from the Shop Ties drawer!

Fly Line:

As for fly line, a standard floating line is a great option. But if terrestrial fly fishing is your game, there are several lines that are preferable. Both Rio's Bank Robber and Scientific Anglers' Titan Long tapers have a rear-loaded shooting head to aid in turning over wind-resistant flies. 

If you want to chat about how to best use your gear for summer terrestrial fly fishing, we are always here to help! Come by the shop, give us a call at (434)-977-6882, or shoot over an email to AlbemarleAngler@gmail.com, and we are more than happy to chat.