Let's Talk Terrestrials
If you're an experienced Oregon angler, you might be raising your eyebrows at the thought of terrestrial talk in late May. After all, aren't terrestrials a summertime pursuit, relegated to the hottest days in July and August?
Perhaps — but we're willing to bet that won't be the case this year. We've had some interesting and somewhat inconsistent weather patterns across the PNW this spring, but overall it's been trending in an unseasonably warm and dry direction. We've also experienced frequent high winds on those warmer days, creating ideal conditions for some early season terrestrial action.
What Are Terrestrials?
Terrestrials are exactly what they sound like — earth-crawling insects that live their entire lifecycle on solid ground. Unlike most insects on the trout menu, terrestrials don't depend on water to hatch, rear, or reproduce. In other words, they're never in or on the water on purpose. It's always an unfortunate accident for the bug, and a happy one for the trout.
Why do trout love terrestrials? It comes down to two simple reasons. Most obviously, they represent a high-calorie meal. But perhaps more importantly, terrestrials are essentially helpless as soon as they hit the water. There's nothing trout love more than an easy target. High caloric intake with low caloric expenditure is the name of the game.
The most popular terrestrials to fish in the Western US are hoppers, ants and beetles. The first of these three bugs is probably the most revered and beloved by anglers, who chase epic hopper action across Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, California and Eastern Oregon. At its best, the action rivals our famed Deschutes salmonfly hatch.
Hoppers are actually fished quite similarly — big bugs on strong tippet tossed in tight to the banks. In Oregon, our most popular river for fishing hoppers is the Owyhee, where anglers flock during the hottest months to chase trophy brown trout and big rainbows. Down south, the Rogue River also boasts a strong hopper presence.
Local Flavor: Ants
If you're a regular reader of our newsletter, you may remember David discussing the increased presence of hoppers in burn zones, like the Upper Clackamas and Lower North Santiam. The fish don't yet view these insects as an annual expectation, the way they do on rivers like the Owyhee. That may change, but in our corner of Oregon, the most effective terrestrial patterns to fish are ants. When temperatures flirt with 80, and a stiff breeze blows through, these tasty little morsels end up on the water in thousands.
Ants are an especially critical pattern for anglers who enjoy chasing trout on the lakes and streams of Mount Hood. Flightless ants fall into the water from overhanging trees, from slick rocks and stumps, or are just blown forcefully by the wind. But many are actually flying ants, which are a bit clumsy when it comes to their namesake activity. They take to the air on hot days, but don't have the wing power to combat any significant elements. Into the water they go, wings and legs pumping frantically like a trout beacon.
Tactics
Ants are a primary summertime food source for all of our local resident trout, from lakes to streams, but are especially important in alpine environments. In the Cascades, fish treat ants like a true hatch. They go wild for them, and there are a few fun, tricky ways to fish them that will elicit the most aggressive, reckless takes.
Let's start with lakes, which are most straightforward. If you see fish rising consistently but are unable to identify a bug dancing on the water or flying through the air, it's a good bet they're eating ants. Tie on a high-floating foam pattern with a nice visible parachute, send it into the general vicinity of the rising fish, and wait until their feeding patterns bring them to your fly. The occasional mend or twitch can help get a picky fish to commit. Remember, the naturals are struggling unsuccessfully to free themselves from the surface film.
Streams offer a bit more variety. If you're fishing pocket water, try a two-fly rig with a foam ant as your first fly and a sparse-body natural pattern as your second. Use a small amount of saliva to coat the second fly, which will cause it to drown just below the surface and then hover there. Your foam fly acts as an indicator. Trout cannot resist such vulnerable prey.
You can also get even more creative when circumstances allow. A footbridge over a creek, for example, will drop a few ants with each enthusiastic, heavy-footed crossing. You can also try purposefully casting your fly onto a rock or boulder, then give it a little tug so that it drops naturally into the water from a place the fish are expecting to see them. I've watched trout come clear out of their skin for this presentation!
Gear
Some of our favorite foam ant patterns carry a bit of weight, so even on small streams, we typically like a four-weight or a fairly stiff three-weight. On lakes, we use five- and six-weights to cast and battle big fish effectively. Use a weight-forward or double-taper floating line and reel to match.
Fish eat ants with enthusiasm, and often attract some of the larger specimens available, but we are typically dealing with very clear water in alpine environments, so we'll typically use 4x or 5x fluorocarbon tippet. If you're fishing a two-fly rig on a small stream, you'll want no more than a foot between your flies. Anything longer and accuracy gets tough.
Anytime you're fishing dry flies in lakes, add around three feet of length to your usual 9-foot tapered leader. Without significant current to extend your leader or obscure your floating line, it pays to put a bit more distance between your fly and the end of your line.
Fly Patterns
There are countless hopper, ant, and beetle patterns on the market. Fly selection, for the most part, is a matter of personal preference. The best all-purpose patterns are fairly standard, and you'll likely have some in your box already. For hoppers, the same big yellow chubby you use to replicate Golden Stones on the Deschutes will often work just as well as a hopper-specific pattern. Similarly, you can use a chubby ant in red, blue, or black to simultaneously replicate ants and beetles where both are present.
For local anglers, ants are where you'll want to invest in the most variety. Be sure to have both attractor patterns and anatomically accurate ones, high-floating foam patterns and sparse ones tied with natural materials. Be sure you have a variety of black, red, brown and grey, with wings and without, as well as patterns you can see well in low light scenarios.
Conditions
Once trout start to see ants regularly, they'll expect them and be on the lookout. But the very best days tend to be in the 80s with some wind. Ants can be fished effectively all day when the weather is warm enough, but our preferred time is a still, warm evening after a hot, windy afternoon. Of course, the only way to encounter perfect conditions like that is to get out and fish as often as possible!