White Flies are coming ~

HenryDavid

Well-known member
The hatches I've seen so far were minimal. My expert fly guide friend says it's too early for them :( Although I did see a few pig smallies rising during the short lived hatches. Next week should be prime. Then they will make their way further up river. Some day after retiring I'll plan a car camping trip and follow them all the way up the North Branch.
 

HenryDavid

Well-known member
4 years ago I was camping along the river quite a few miles up the North Branch from my usual spots. It was already fall. I saw a hatch and was dumbfounded to see they were the White Flies indeed. Caught a few bass and was working up river when the insects just seemed to disappear.
When I turned around I saw a wall of white flies heading up river but stopping and were turning around to go back down, it was the end of their migration up river for the day, very strange sight to see.
 

HenryDavid

Well-known member
Light hatch tonight, nothing at all like last Thursday. But it was enough to get the fish going. I caught 9 quickly before dark, too bad they were all fall fish. I moved down river a ways and found some bigger fish rising. Casted up river to the edge of an eddy adjacent to some current but didn't reach my target. As I stood there staring at the area where I thought my fly was I saw another riser in the current. Still staring at the spot where my fly had landed I noticed the line had arched out and into the current, sure enough I was attached to the riser I had seen 20 seconds earlier and was able to land the nice smallie. One more after that and it just died off. Left the camera at home. :rolleyes:
 

HenryDavid

Well-known member
Only a couple of weeks. They will migrate up river. It's a very unpredictable hatch, a little change in weather can slow them down greatly
 
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