Ever heard of matching the hatch?

2 Answers

1. 
   

   
   

   Jim Johnson on Jan 24, 2013 Reply

   Matching the hatch means that you pick a fly that matches the insects which the trout (or other fish) are currently feeding on. Fish are often particular about eating only the most abundant insect type during a hatch, so you’ll raise your chances quite a bit if your fly looks and moves like the current “hatch”.

   In the case of bass fishing, matching the hatch refers to the type of baitfish they’re going for at the moment. You can often find dead or dying baitfish at the surface when bass are fishing, which gives you an excellent clue about the “hatch” the local bass are feeding on. Shad, frogs, etc. may all be the “hatch” for a specific time.

   While you can catch stuff without matching the hatch, it does up your chances considerably.

   Might as well give yourself an advantage if you can.

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   Fidel R. on Jan 27, 2013 Reply

   One good way to match the hatch is to cut open the fish you catch and see what they’ve been eating. Of course, you gotta catch ‘em first, so it’s kind of a catch-22 situation too!

   Keeping an eye on nature around you and paying attention to what your eyes are telling you is a real good way to match the hatch, too.

   Trout are a lot more likely to eat the larva (caddis nymphs, etc.) than the adults, because the larvae are still in the water and the adults are up in the air where the trout can’t follow them. So you need to learn what nymphs match up to what adults so that you can fish with the appropriate nymphs.

   Hope this helps!

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