Fly Fishing Insider Newsletter featuring Damselfly

This newly hatched Damsel Fly will turn bright blue as it dries.

Damsel flies are those delicate, iridescent cousins of the dragon flies that you see around lakes and slower streams during the summer months; usually June, July and August. They are highly predacious during both their nymph and adult life. They eat other smaller aquatic insects. As such they are near the top of the food chain and are very dependent on healthy populations of may flies and midges. In alpine lakes, damsel flies may be of such sparse populations as to draw little attention from trout. In shallow alkaline lakes with ample weed beds, damsel flies can reach such unbelievable populations that the entire margin of the shore line is painted bright blue for miles. In these lakes, damsel flies in all stages are aggressively fed upon by all the fish that live there.

The most common damsel fly specie in Oregon wears adult colors of bright iridescent blue that is outlined in black. The eyes are prominent in the silhouette. The body is long and thin and the blue parts are semi-translucent. When the insect lies spent upon the water, the long delicate wings are nearly clear. Often they are lying with others of their kind, on glassy slick water which gives

the trout the perfect opportunity for complete inspection and comparison. Your fly has to be an exact counterfeit to fool them. Under these circumstances the Pearl Wing Blue Damsel is often your best choice as a fly. However this fly is a low floater and must be cast delicately to be of value. When the water surface is textured by wind or long aggressive casts are needed the Foam Body Paradamsel Fly is a better choice.

Damsel Fly nymphs hatch by crawling above the surface of the water. When blue damsels first emerge from the nymphal shuck, they are olive and turn to their adult colors as the skin dries and hardens. Some of these olive hatchlings fall into the water where they are doomed. Trout often congregate around structures where damsels are emerging. They acquire a taste for olive damsels very quickly.

The other damsel that you see around Oregon lakes is bright red. Both adult blue and red damsels can create mid-day feeding sprees in trout, bass and pan fish. This is because damsels are hunting other insects, which may be on the surface of the water. There is a lot of water contact when adult damsels are hunting. A few are bound to make mistakes and get trapped in the surface film. Here they are easy prey.

After damsels mate, the female crawls down a plant stalk and lays her eggs under water. This is accomplished by her drilling a hole in the stalk with a specially designed auger on her tail end. Then she deposits her eggs inside the plant. This is an exhausting process while holding your breath. When the female crawls back up the plant stalk and reaches the surface, the male damsel flies down and picks her from the surface of the water and deposits her where she can dry and regain her strength. During this whole process these insects are extremely vulnerable to cruising trout or bass.

Better have some of these patterns in your lake box.

Links:
Oregon Damsel
Common Blue Damsel
Mating Embrace

		Foam Body Paradamsel, Green This fly is designed to float. The body is made from soft pliable sealed cell foam polymer. When blue damsels first emerge from the nymphal shuck, they are green to olive and turn to their adult colors as the skin dries and hardens. Some of these green/olive hatchlings fall into the water where they are doomed. Trout often congregate around structures where damsels are emerging. They acquire a taste for green/olive damsels very quickly. Dress parachute hackle lightly with floatant.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
00000-12	Foam Body Paradamsel, Green	12	3 for $5.85

		Foam Body Paradamsel, Blue This fly is designed to float. The body is made from soft pliable sealed cell foam polymer. As such it is lighter than water. The large parachute hackle simulates wings and adds to the flies floatation. This fly simulates a female damsel that has returned to the surface after laying her eggs, a male hovering at the surface or a damsel fly that has just made a mistake. Fish this fly along weed beds and shore lines when game fish are targeting damsels on the surface. Dress parachute hackle lightly with floatant.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
06293-12	Foam Body Paradamsel, Blue	12	3 for $5.85

		Pearl Wing Blue Damsel This pattern was designed for maximum realism to fool super selective fish. It may be fished wet or dry. To fish this pattern dry, coat it with fly floatant and cast it delicately. After damsels mate, the female crawls down a plant stalk and lays her eggs under water. In the perfect situation the female returns to the surface of the water and a male Damsel flies down and plucks her from the water where she dries and regains her strength. However many female are intercepted by fish before the reach the surface. Fishing your Pearl Wing Blue Damsel wet can often be very effective. This fly should be dressed with floatant.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
03160-12	Pearl Wing Blue Damsel	12	3 for $5.85

		Pearl Wing Olive Damsel This color is a hatchling whose skin has partly hardened and turned darker. Fish the fly in any area where fish are feeding on emerging damsel. Simply throw in into the edges of grassy flats and twitch it, let it set and twitch it again. This fly can be dressed with floatant, but can also be very effective when awash.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
03161-12	Pearl Wing Olive Damsel	12	3 for $5.85

Fishing Report: Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico 06/13/04
	We need about 86 F for optimum Dorado conditions and with the consistent 80-83 degree water we have now, and the storm system from the south pushing even more warm water towards us, it seems as though we won't have much longer to wait. There are scum lines and sargasso paddies offshore and with today's and yesterdays winds, even more seaweed will hit the surface. We are looking prime for Dorado.
We can hook you up! A very few shots open in last week of June.

Arrive Thursday, Depart Following Thursday, 2004, Hotel La Pinta Deluxe Rooms, 7-nights, 6-days fishing: includes bait, licenses, lunches and beverages and $25 tip to guide
Description	Price	To Top
7 nights, 6 days fishing deluxe package Payment In Full Required	$1,525.00 per person

Damsel Fly hatch 1990, Patty Barnes and a beautiful rainbow caught on a damsel fly nymph.

They are highly predacious during both their nymph and adult life. They eat other smaller aquatic insects. They prefer to ambush their prey from short range, but are very good swimmers and can easily catch slower moving insects such as midge pupae an larvae This movement often exposes them to cruising trout that will feed on damselfly nymphs selectively. Bass and Pan Fish will also feed heavily on Damsel Fly nymphs.

In the nymph stage, damsel flies range from green to olive to tan to brown. Swimming is accomplished by undulating the body very much like a fish. When hunting for food, nymphs usually swim in short erratic bursts at a slight upward angle and then slowly settle while they rest. This swimming motion

Patty nails another one at Crane Prairie.

is fairly violent, but only carries the nymph a few inches. This action is very noticeable and is a definite key.

Your retrieve should duplicate this swimming movement. Most anglers retrieve their damsel nymphs to fast. Fish your fly very slowly. Letting it settle often between retrieves. A we straightened intermediate line, such as Cortland's Clear Camo line is essential for the best presentation.

Damsel nymphs can be productive as soon as the ice leaves your favorite lake. The smaller early season niads or immature nymphs are usually light olive green. Fishing a Bachmann's Tannish Green Damsel nymph very slowly, within inches of the bottom with a sinking fly line, such as Scientific Angler's Stillwater is often very productive. When fishing deeper water, Use the same line, but trail your niad pattern two feet behind a weighted wooly bugger. Since the water can be cold this time of the year, the strikes can be very soft. The angler has to stay alert.

During May and early June the water starts to warm. Predacious damsel fly nymphs hunt vigorously in and around under water vegetation. They become a staple fish food. Fishing a Bachmann's Olive within inches of the weed tops can bring savage strikes. The fly must be fished slowly. Bachmann's Tan Damsel Nymph has proven to be very effective in in mud bottom reservoirs. Good local examples of this kind of bottom can be found in Timothy, Clear and Laurance Lakes.

Damsels are most vulnerable to trout during their migration to hatch on above-surface structure. (Such as this half submerged dead tree, at right. Every crack and groove is full of damsel nymph shucks.)

In lakes such a *Crane Prairie, damsels can migrate in such masses that they can create nervous water like miniature moving shoals of fish.

The trout can become so gorged as to become very difficult to catch. The fish will key only on cripples. During these times try Barr's Damsel dressed with floatant and fish it like a dry fly, or a Bachmann's Damsel retrieved very slowly, just under the surface. Very long leaders with fluorocarbon tippets will get the most takes.

Thousands of Damsel Fly shucks fill the grooves in this weathered tree trunk.

*Damsel hatches were more prolific in Crane Prairie before the illegal introduction of chubs, blue gills and stickle backs. However, damsel fly nymphs are important for trout in nearly every body of still water.

Bachmann's Damsel Nymph, Tannish Green Damsel fly nymphs come in a myriad of shades of green, olives and brown. Some are light and some are dark. We have seen this color often in desert lakes with algae bloom. Damsel flies swim with a lot of movement. This fly is tied thin and sparse for maximum lifelike movement.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
9150-12	Bachmann's Damsel Nymph, Tannish Green	12	3 for $5.25
9150-12	Bachmann's Damsel Nymph, Tannish Green	14	3 for $5.25

Bachmann's Damsel Nymph, Olive One of the most common colors of damsel nymphs.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
9230-10	Bachmann's Damsel Nymph, Olive	10	3 for $5.25
9230-12	Bachmann's Damsel Nymph, Olive	12	3 for $5.25

Bachmann's Damsel Nymph, Tan A very good pattern in many lakes and stream.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
9235-12	Bachmann's Damsel Nymph, Tan	12	3 for $5.25
9235-14	Bachmann's Damsel Nymph, Tan	14	3 for $5.25

Barr's Damsel Dress with floatant and fish it verysloooooowly as a cripple.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
13936	Barr's Damsel	8	3 for $5.85

King Damsel, Olive Very realistic.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
01136-10	King Damsel, Olive	10	3 for $5.85
01136-12	King Damsel, Olive	12	3 for $5.85

Ultra Damsel Very reliable pattern.
Item	Description	Size	Price	To Top
9237-14	Ultra Damsel	14	3 for $5.25

Jim Schollmeyer has taken aquatic insect photography to a new level. You may review his work in "Hatch Guide for Lakes", which will acquaint you with all of the trout food critters that live in still water.

New 2004 Buck's Split Front Chest Pack.

A Favorite With Steelheaders!
Unique divided front zips together for quick on/off convenience. It features two large front pockets for fly boxes and two zippered slip pockets for leaders and other accessories. Also has convenient mesh tippet pockets and two side pockets with Velcro closures for sunglasses, a flashlight or other accessories. The 264 cubic inch rear pocket is open and has enough capacity for rain gear, lunch or other items. Adjustable side strap. Adjustable shoulder strap with convenient accessory rings. Aero-Spacer ventilation system for added comfort. Many incremental improvements over the original Buck's Split Front Chest Pack, including they cost $10 less. Interesting that Buck's would drop the price on our best selling vest/chest pack. You win!
One size fits all.

Item	Description	Price	To Top
FV42	2004 Buck's Split Front Chest Pack	$39.95

Free Fly Tying Class Sunday Evening: 6:00pm - 8:00pm.
	June 20 Pale Morning Dun #16 Pink Cream Puff Parachute #18 PMD Sparkle Duns (Pale Orange and Pale Olive)
At: The Fly Fishing Shop. All materials provided. Bring your fly tying tools if you have them. Some tool sets will be provided for in house use. First come, first served. Beginners & experienced tiers welcome. Instructor: Trez Hensley.

No one beats our customer service! No one beats our attention to detail!
We want your business and will do what it takes to earn it!

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Damselfly Adults
Paradamsel, Green	Pearl Damsel, Blue
Paradamsel, Blue	Pearl Damsel, Olive

Bachmann's Damsel, Tannish Green	Barr's Damsel
Bachmann's Damsel, Olive	King Damsel, Olive
Bachmann's Damsel, Tan	Ultra Damsel

Damselfly

Damselfly Nymphs