For the sake of science, Autumn Sedge is also known as The Northern Case Maker. The family Limnephilidae and the genus Pycnopsyche, but you don’t need to be fluent in latin to catch a fish.
Don’t expect fish to fight over your dry fly. . .
I remember when I first learned there was another hatch in the fall, another caddis hatch! I had never fished the fall waters, but the thought of another caddis hatch got me pretty fired up. So, I packed myself a pile of new flies and headed for the river. In my youth I was impulsive, and didn’t bother to learn much about the hatch or how fish react to pumpkin colored flies. It was a long weekend of watching very few fish rise and even fewer to the garishly bright colored flies I was floating. Â
I tried them all to the same result. Strike 1, strike 2, strike 3, skunked.
In the years since, I have continued to look forward to the fall, and the Autumn Sedge hatch, but I’ve spent time reading, practicing, and learning. So how do you turn the last hatch of the season into fish in the net? Read on and I’ll spill what I’ve learned about the October Caddis..
Autumn Sedge Behavior
The Autumn Sedge Pupa are casemakers, so they cover themselves in bits of sticks or rocks. These cream to ginger colored pupa are typically ½ to ¾ of an inch long. During the warmest part of the summer, the pupa lie dormant, attached to the bottom or a rock, or a log. As the water cools, the pupa emerge. Their adult bodies are still stuck inside their pupa exteriors. During this phase, they crawl around the bottom, waiting to crawl onto a rock or log, above the surface to hatch into their adult form. This is the phase of the hatch I prefer to fish.
In this form, they can be dislodged from the bottom and tumble in the current, making them easy pickings for Brook Trout and Salmon who are preparing to breed.
Fishing the Autumn Sedge Hatch
Nymphing
Fishing the Pupa as a nymph i use large nymphs, size 14ish weighted flies. Ginger to orange flies, fished deep. I prefer weighted flies to adding weight to my line. Have some fun with this. Try tying some of your favorite patterns, like a Hares Ear, in ginger to orange colors and give it a go, or buy some already tied up winners like this Caddis Poopah
Try different presentations. You can dredge it under an indicator, or you can swing it deep, Euro style. I like to find a protruding rock or log, the kind of place an Autumn Sedge might climb up out of the water and molt, and run nymphs around it. Don’t be afraid of rocks that are closer to shore or in calmer waters.
Wet Flies
Try swinging wet flies, or even some dry flies under the surface. You can even try an orange Stimulator or Hornberg, but I like a more traditional wet like a Partridge and Orange. Swing these flies downstream and swing them across the current. In the fall, let these flies hang at the end of the swing. Dangle them for longer than you usually would, you might be surprised at home many fish are watching that fly.
Dry Flies
The adult Autumn Sedge is nocturnal, rarely seen during the daytime. You can fish a stimulator or an oversized orange colored elk hair caddis if you want, but I’ve never had great luck with dry flies mid day. Try at the edge of dark. Dapple, or skidder the flies on the surface like they are laying eggs. If it goes under, swing it like it’s wet. I’m willing to bet you get more hits on the swing, than the dry.
So go tie up some old patterns with new colors and get out there. This is a special time of year, the brook trout are putting on their finest colors and the salmon are growing a mean looking skype, and blue cheeks. By the end of September, these fish will start schooling up at the mouth of their breeding runs.
Want to get out on the East Outlet This Fall?
If you want to try some of these tactics with a fellow who’s tried before, you can book and October East Outlet trip at www.horizonlineadventures.com.
