By Rick Stahl

When asked what their favorite time to fish, most hardcore B.C. still water fly fisher’s agree that late June and caddis fly hatches are at the top of the list. This time of year can bring some of the biggest trout to the top to feed and create some of the most exciting displays of surface takes that you may ever encounter.

Traveling sedges are also not your every day run of the mill caddis flies. No sir, these are the biggest of the big in the caddis fly world. Most travelers average around one inch long with many nearing the two-inch marker. In some instances I’ve seen them nearly three inches long and looking more like a dragonfly than a caddis. They’re sheer size and awkward emergence make them irresistible to protein searching trout.

Sedge hatches usually start occurring at the beginning of June in the lower lakes and towards the first part July on the higher lakes. Specific hatches seem to happen year after year at approximately the same time, this can make a fishing diary invaluable for timing trips around hatches. The best fishing with travelers, especially dry flies, usually occurs at the beginning of the hatches before trout become glutton with caddis or wise to “fur and feathers”.

When trying to determine if traveling sedges have been hatching, walk along the edge of the lake, knocking bushes and branches looking for adult caddis fluttering away. Also look for nighthawks and swallows working areas of a lake to indicate where and when a caddis hatch might be coming off. Adult caddis themselves and their empty shucks on the water are obvious signs of hatching travelers and remember that that the presence of adults, particularly in the evenings, coupled with the absence of pupal shucks in the surface film usually indicates female caddis coming back to the water to lay eggs.

Caddis flies have a complete metamorphosis through their live cycle; egg to larval to pupa to winged adult. The life cycle can take up to two years to complete, although most sedges complete it annually.

Most of their lives are spent in the larval stage. Although some trout will feed on the larva opportunistically, most trout will not key onto them. This is due to the fact that the larvas spend all their time clinging to the bottom in cases of foliage that they build around themselves. This makes them tough to see and hard to get at. One could slowly crawl a trimmed Carey Special or specific larva imitation along the bottom, but usually you’d have better luck trying to figure out exactly what the trout are keying into.

The pupa stage is a whole other story. Although the shortest time of their lives is spent as a pupa this is the time when they become the most vulnerable to hungry trout. Once a larva has emerged from its case as a pupa it now has to swim to the surface. Pupa may have to swim anywhere from a few feet, up to thirty feet in plain sight of any waiting aggressive trout. Upon arriving at the surface now the “bug” has to suspend there and struggle through the surface tension before it can turn into an adult.

This can be some of the fastest fishing that the still waters have to offer. The long leader, floating line approach is probably the most commonly used, but don’t over look sinking lines when the pupa are ascending from deeper waters. Also rough surface water from wind may require the use of slow sinking lines to keep the fly from “bouncing” around too much. Cast patterns such as Brian Chan’s Pupa, Tony’s Pupa, Interior Sedge or the good old Carey Special and allow them to sink below the level that you expect the trout to be at. Upon reaching the desired depths, start retrieving the fly in six to twenty inch steady strips. Pause often and twitch the fly with the rod tip every now and again. Try to keep things going at a “medium” pace, one to two seconds per strip, and be prepared for the take, as it can be anywhere from a tippet breaking “yank” to a subtle “tap”.

As the pupa breaks through the surface tension and begins to crawl out of its pupal shuck it is called an emerger. Trout will occasionally key onto the emerger, particularly when high-pressure weather system is over the lake. This is due to the fact that the surface tension will be at its highest and the pupa will have its toughest time breaking through. On windy days and low-pressure ridges, pupa can literally pop through the surface with no trouble at all, giving the trout very little opportunity to key onto them as emergers.

This can be fairly frustrating time to fish and is usually an indicator that the hatches have been going on for a while and the trout have become selective. When you can see trout boiling on top but not eating adults, try greasing a pupa imitation with dry fly flotant and casting it where you think the trout are going to be cruising. Usually just allowing the fly to dangle in the surface tension with the odd twitch is enough. Try to judge which way individual trout are traveling and cast to where you think their next rise will be.

Fishing adult traveling sedge patterns over large cruising trout is “where its at” for the lake fly fisher. The sight of an above average rainbow viciously attacking your offering in plain view is something that can change the way you dream. After a caddis has transformed into an adult it needs to dry its wings and fly away. Caddis flies are not the most graceful at this. They make long “V” like wakes as they buzz trying to take off and once in the air often crash back down to try and repeat the process. This disturbance can bring even the biggest fish to the surface in a feeding frenzy.

Dry fly fishing with caddis patterns is usually best towards evening and often continues into the night. This is particularly evident when egg laying females are present as they will lay most of their eggs in the cover of darkness. Try picking patterns, such as the Mikaluk sedge, Goddard sedge and Tom Thumb, close to the size and color of the naturals. Cast towards where trout have been rising and allow the rings from the fly to dissipate. Start drawing the fly in one to one and a half foot lengths creating a small wake and “V” behind the fly, greasing the fly with flotant will help keep it up. Pause often and give the fly short quick strips every now and then.

After you see a trout eat your fly, wait a split second before setting the hook. This allows the trout to turn with the fly in its mouth instead of yanking it straight out. Also sometimes trout will “drown” a caddis and then come back to eat it more leisurely, leaving the fly gives the trout a chance to come back and eat it. This takes great discipline and usually separates the novice from the expert.

Traveling sedge hatches should not be taken for granted as hitting the perfect hatch can be magical and may take years to repeat. Next time your on the lake and see the little “V’s” try chucking a sedge and see what turns “once in a while” fly tossers into hardened addicts.