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Angler's Entomology Podcast


Welcome to the Angler's Entomology Podcast.  On this podcast and blog, I am documenting my re-entry into the world of entomology.   Join us as my wife and I explore the environment in which trout live and the insects and other creatures that live in and share that space.  This is not just a dry recitation of facts, I hope to bring these creatures alive - show you how they live, what makes them fascinating in their own right, and help you understand how they interact with trout in ways that will help your fishing.  So, please join us.  I hope you enjoy the program...

Links:

Selene's Blog and Page for Classic Streamers; and you can finder her interview on the podcast the Liar's Club. 

NEW QUIZ PAGES

I'm setting up a new set of Quizizz pages to help you learn about different insect groups.  I'll be honest - the best way to learn insects is to look at a lot of insects.  So, give these a whirl and don't get discouraged if you do poorly.   Just try again every so often.   The quizzes will be tiered- so they will get more detailed and complicated as we increase in levels.   The first ones are just about learning the different orders.    

This first quiz is about identifying the four major aquatic insect orders

Quiz #2 is a continuation on Mayfly, Stonefly, Dragon and Damselfly, and Caddisfly Orders. 

This Quiz includes other orders of insects that are important to anglers, but is only the adults.  

 

Pics for Episode 26: Midges

Oct 3, 2018

Let's start with a picture of an adult midge and a larva next to each other.  They are probably different species and may even be different subfamilies - but this will get you oriented:

 

 

So let's look at some larvae in more detail.  Here is a nice chironomid larva with lots of hemoglobin in it - a blood worm:

 

And just a regular old one.  Note on this how little differentiation there is between the the thorax and the abdomen.  You can see the sclerotized head capsule as well.  

 

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of pupae...that said, I also I don't know how I managed to talk for 20 minutes about midges and not mention Serendipities, but I did.  It is one of my favorite flies and works great as imitating a suspended pupa.  Here is one - the deer hair thorax is trimmed a little short,  but here you go:

 

 

 

 

 

There are all sorts of ways you can suspend your midge pupa, and honestly, I'm not sure what I did with this one!  But this would be a good one that I'm suspending below the surface - with maybe a greased tippet...

 

 

Or something like this for further down in the water column:

For adults, as I mentioned, I love the griffith's gnat:

CDC also makes for a great adult/emerger:

As you can see, these are incredibly simple flies - there really isn't the need for 'elbows and assholes' as one fly tier complained.  

Dick Talleur has a really nice pattern for a midge adult I like.  I think it is out of his advanced fly tying book.   This is my chewed up version of it.  His, as expected, look significantly better: