By Patrick A. Svedin

The crisp air blows in your face, the refreshing water presses against your neoprenes, the sun dances on each ripple, you have your rod in hand. What could be better? Bugs, thousands of them, as thick as a Logan snow storm, the water begins to boil.

Next to the thrill of landing that beautiful brown trout is finding yourself in the middle of a thick fly hatch. Quickly you reach into the fly box and try to find a fly that will match the hatch. You find the right fly and in a few short cast you yell, FISH ON!

"Being able to identify and match the insects on which trout feed can make fly fishing an extremely rewarding experience," said Dick Pobst, the author of Trout Stream Insects an Orvis Stream Guide.

A question that commonly comes up among fly fishing beginners is, is it important to study insects to be good at fly fishing?

Carl Richards the co-author of Selective Trout said, "The study of entomology will help us catch more and larger fish than would otherwise be possible."

Just up the canyon from Utah State University is one of Utah's finest fisheries said Eric Billman, a master's student in water ecology.

"The more you know of what types of insects are in the Logan and when they are going to hatch, the more likely you are going to out-fish people who are throwing spinners and Power Bait at the fish," said Billman.

Trout's biggest advantage is selectivity, and we can counteract it only by knowing the insects that make up his diet, this is reason for the study of entomology by anglers, and it is often the weak link in his skill, said Ernie Schwiebert, author of Matching the Hatch.

The best place to start when learning to read a hatch is by first learning what types of insects live with in your fisheries, don't get overwhelmed by all the hundreds of flies out there, just focus on the dozen major insect hatches on the river, said Richards. "Then you'll be light years ahead of most fishermen."

A common mistake for fisherman is focusing too much on what is happening above the water rather than what is underneath the surface.

"The adults are big meaty choices but often the most difficult for the trout to capture," Said Mark D. Williams, fishing expert for GORP.com. "So any trout angler would find it beneficial to study and understand the stages of caddis flies, mayflies and stoneflies.

"The most important advice to learning how to match the hatch and catch the trout is simple: Observe. Start by picking up a rock. Turn it over. If you have done your homework, you can tell if those are mayfly nymphs or cased caddis," said Williams.

The best way to learn what types of insects to look for is to find a knowledgeable fly shop manager in your area. "There is no substitute for up to date locale information," said Pobst.

It is imperative to know approximately when the hatches will take place in your rivers. This is often very complicated to calculate because of all the different factors the trigger a hatch.

Dan Lockwood of Spring Creek Outfitters in Logan said, "Hatches are keyed off by water temperature, photo period (length of day) and light intensity."

Some bugs react to each of these factors differently. Some may hatch in the morning, others may hatch in the afternoon and some may hatch in the evening, said Lockwood. Be prepared with the right type of flies for the river you are fishing.

Before you get into the river sit on the bank for about 10 to 15 minutes and observe the bug activity. Take note of what is happening and pretty soon you will know where the bugs are and when they will hatch, said Lockwood. Keep track of the time of day, the temperature, write down the exact date and you will be able to chart out the river.

Hatch charts are a great tool that will help you to get a general idea of what insects will hatch throughout the year in your area.

"Hatch charts are very general at best and even those who come up with them will tell you that. They are however very helpful in identifying which bugs are there to begin with (stream specific ones, that is)," said Crosby, a senior member of Utah on the Fly.

Hatch charts can be located at most local fly shops and on the Internet. Theflyfishingreport.com has a match the hatch site that has charts throughout the United States. Another site worth looking at is Utahonthefly.com; it has a very detailed chart of most of the major rivers in Utah.

It is valuable to keep a pocket size chart in the vest and a small book with the picture and name of the flies, said Lockwood.

Trying to match a hatch should be fun and exciting, if you are the type who gets frustrated with it then don't worry about it and fish with the generic flies and focus on having fun, said Lockwood.

"You can make it as simple or as sophisticated as you want it to be, that is the beauty of fly fishing," said Lockwood. However, "the more you understand the fishery, the more fish you will catch."

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