Black Hills Hatch Chart
Adult (Genera) | Adult Hatch Times | Dry fly patterns/color and size of adult | Nymph patterns/color and size of nymph |
Midge(chironomidae) | Year round (best during spring and warm winter days) | Adult CDC, Griffith’s gnat Olive, black, tan, cream, and grey in sizes 18-26 | Brassie, larva worm in black, red, tan, brown, and olive in sizes 16-24 |
Spring BWO(baetis) | February-May | Comparaduns, para.BWO Adams. Olive or grey in sizes 14-18 | PT or Hares ear as a soft hackle or bead head in sizes 14-18 |
Little Black Stonefly | January thru April | Any adult stonefly pattern in black or dark olive in sizes 14-18 | Nymphs should be tyed in black or peacock in sizes 14-18 |
Black Caddis | Late March thru June | Black or dark olive hair wing or CDC caddis pattern in sizes 14-18 |
Tan to light pink larva and dark olive to brown pupa in sizes 14-16 |
March Brown (Rhithrogena) | April thru May | Any brown or cream mayfly emergers or adult patterns in sizes 12-16 |
Pheasant Tail, brown Hares Ear and brown soft hackles in sizes 12-18 |
Damsel and Dragon Flies | April thru August | Blue or green spent adult patterns in sizes 8-12 | Whitlocks Damsel nymph pattern in olive or brown and Wooly Buggers in sizes 8-12 |
Yellow Stonefly (Isoperla) | Early May thru July | Yellow to light brown body with an orange tip on the abdomen the wings are light tan to yellow in sizes 14-18 | Any Stonefly pattern in light yellow to light brown in sizes 8-14 |
Trico (Tricorythodes) | Mid. July thru September | cut wing duns, poly spinners male in black the female is chartreuse and black both sexes have white wings in sizes 18-24 |
Pheasant Tails or Hares Ears light to dark brown in sizes 18-22 |
Fall BWO (Baetis/Acentrella) | July thru early August | Colors the same as the Spring Baetis and Acentrella has a chartreuse abdomen sizes 18-22 |
Same as Spring BWO in sizes 16-20 |
Tan and Olive Caddis | May thru Mid. September (Usually evenings) |
Elk hair, CDC, Cut wing light tan to dark olive or brown in sizes 14-18 | Pale to dark olive larva and grey to olive pupa in sizes 14-18 |
Speckle Winged Mayfly (Callibaetis) |
May thru June then mid August thru September | Adams, Brooks sprout emerger. Grey body with speckled wings found in lakes or slower moving water in the streams in sizes 14-18 | Any nymph that is brown to olive on top and grey to olive on the bottom in sizes 14-18 |
Scuds and shrimp | Year round | Scuds have an olive or tan body with an orange egg sac, the shrimp are transparent to white or light tan in color in sizes 12-18 |
Terrestrials | March to late October Ants and beetles most of the year. Hoppers are usually fishes June thru October |
Schroders para. hopper, Ranies Grand hopper, Daves, Joes, and the Madam X yellow, green and tan. Ant patterns in sizes 12-22, beetles in sizes 12-18 and hoppers are found in size 16 in June and grow to size 6 by October |