For the devoted fly fisher, the start of summer is a bittersweet time. As days get longer, they also get warmer and many beloved streams in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic follow suit. By early to mid-June, water temperatures approach the 70-degree mark, thus ending the ethical pursuit of trout. Many anglers will travel long distances over the summer to fish a spring creek, a creek that is fed by an underground aquifer and maintains a more constant temperature and flow year-round. Others will change gear and pursue smallmouth or largemouth bass. And for some, they hang up the fly rod all together until fall. Me? I change my focus to class A trout waters in pursuit of native brookies and wild browns. If you don’t mind the heat, stinging nettle, chance rattlesnake encounters, and countless snags, you should do the same.
Many people fish these streams with Euro nymphing setups which is perfectly effective, but it’s not for everyone. A 10-foot-long rod can be quite unwieldy when trying to navigate through dense rhododendrons and blow down. My preferred summer tactic for class A trout waters is dry fly fishing with terrestrial patterns. There is just something special about a 4-inch brook trout smacking an inch long grasshopper on topwater. If you aren’t familiar, terrestrials are a class of flies designed to imitate land-dwelling insects that occasionally have the misfortunate of falling into the water. Examples include grasshoppers, ants, beetles, wasps, and bees. My personal favorites are a blue foam beetles and a tan hopper. These critters make up a significant portion of diet available to these wild fish who have less access to the aquatic insects typically found in larger creeks.
To fish these flies, I use a 7’6 3 wt. rod paired with WF3F fly line and a shorter leader (somewhere in the range of 6-7 ft). My preferred tippet weight is 5x to 6x as wild fish can be very skittish, particularly as water gets lower and clearer later in the summer. When casting a terrestrial pattern, you don’t need the world’s most delicate presentation. As a matter of fact, sometimes letting the fly hit the water with a plop can better imitate a terrestrial falling from a tree or jumping to the water from a bank. An occasional twitch on the drift can also be effective as it imitates an insect in distress. The best time to fish these patterns is typically early afternoon through the evening. Mornings are less effective as the insects are less active until the day warms. Windy days are a bonus as more terrestrials are blown into the water.
Just like fishing during peak hatches in May, pay attention to the insect activity around you. If you notice Japanese beetles floating in your swimming pool, its probably a safe bet the same is happening in trout streams. Likewise, there are always a few weeks over the summer when winged ants are prevalent. Focus your casts on plunge pools, slow moving pocket waters, and undercut banks. If the action is slow, you can use foam terrestrials as an indicator and tie on a small nymph pattern to increase your odds of a bite.
Get out there and give it a try! The link below is a good budget option to get you started if you are new to fishing terrestrials If you have success with this tactic, tag us in your pictures on social media. Tight lines!
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