Terrestrials

The terrestrial insects that are of interest to the fly fisherman are the kinds that you find around your favorite stream, river or pond. The most common are ants, beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers and crickets. There are of course more, but we can enjoy a lot of good fishing with a few patterns that imitate or "suggest" those that I have mentioned. 

Ants and beetles seem to be around all season so it's a good idea to have some imitations of these in your box. When you see a lot of winged ants around it is a good time to try an ant pattern because a lot of these get blown into the water where the hungry trout are waiting. The hoppers come with the heat of summer and the trout love them because they provide a big meal that is easy to catch. Most anywhere there is grass along the shoreline of a stream you will find hoppers. A few patterns in different sizes will cover most situations and usually an exact imitation is not necessary. Hopper patterns work especially well when fishing near shore along a grassy bank. Allow the fly to dead drift with just a little twitch or two then try again. The trout are looking for them all summer once the weather gets warm. Those warm breezy days can blow a lot of hoppers in the water. 

Here are a few patterns to add to your terrestrial box.