Ep. 47: Pics and Patterns of Moths
Feb 13, 2022
Hi Folks,
Here are some pics of moths (both adults and larvae) as well as some patterns I like to fish. So, while that is said, remember that the good old Elk Hair Caddis makes quite a nice imitation of a moth fluttering around on the surface - as do many other patterns - so if you are in a situation where you think a moth pattern might be useful, and you haven't anything in your box specifically tied to imitate a moth - think outside your box and see what else will work.
So - first, I want to give you a little sense of the diversity
of moths. It is huge and crazy - there are giant ones,
ones that look like humingbirds, and ones that are teeny
tiny. But even your plain grey moths have a huge amount
of diversity (which doesn't need to be imitated in your
tying). Take a look at this random drawer from my
collection - and while they are all generic grey moths - you can
see a lot of variation from species to species (and it isn't like
my collection is huge!).
So while they all look like various shades of grey moths from far away - they are gorgeous when you look up close - check out this one - which is in genus Zale:
Or this one - which is a common agricultural pest - super common - called a clover looper:
Obviously, you don't need to imitate all that detail, but they are beautiful.
So, how do you imitate them? As I mentioned, an elk hair caddis is a great imitation - both the small ones you have in your box (size 16 and up) or you can tie big ones like this:
Similarly a Stimulator tied large and either light or dark works great:
One of the more interesting patterns I've been playing with is
from Dave Whitlock. It is nice and simple - tied only
with deer hair - and the pattern is just all about
trimming:
OK, let's switch to the larvae - or caterpillars. There is a ton of diversity in caterpillars. Here are a few examples. This one is a Geometrid larva - an inch worm - which are often seen hanging down by a thread of silk (when not imitating a twig).
They also come in brown versions - which are a little less effective from a camouflage perspective when they are on a green leaf...
Here are a few others...
Anyway - with all this diversity you can tie lots of diverse flies as well. Here are a few:
I like this one because it is nice and simple - just a cylinder
of foam tied down like a san juan worm. You can do a
similar thing with squirmy worm material of the appropriate
color. Where, that can be, as you see, anything from green,
yellow, white, or brown.
Another one I like (I appeared to have been in a chartreuse mood
this day) is one tied like a leech (just smaller, and green).
In this case it was tied with lambs wool - which floats for awhile
and then sinks - and honestly, I fish it both ways:
You can also opt for a hairy version - in this case, again, just
foam wrapped around a hook with a palmered feather.
Which, of course, leads to a wooly worm - which certainly can be
used as a caterpillar imitation.
Anyway - these are some ideas. Talk to you next time.