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