general information
Caddisfly
The caddisfly grows, molts and constantly adjusts its tube house, increasing its capacity. Having “sheathed” its house, the shitik crawls along the bottom, carrying it on itself and sticking out only its head and chest with three (some with two) tenacious legs.
In case of danger, the caddis fly crawls away into its fortress and closes the entrance with its strong head. There is no need for the caddisfly to come up to the surface to breathe, since oxygen dissolved in water penetrates the blood of the larva through the delicate covering of the abdomen. In addition, many caddisfly larvae living in houses also have tracheal gills, small bushy outgrowths on the abdomen.
For ballast, so as not to float up, caddis flies weigh down their houses with pebbles, even the shells of tiny mollusks, empty or together with a live snail.
There are also types of caddisflies, the larvae of which prefer to be not at the bottom, but near the surface of the water. Their shelters are lighter than water, as they are woven from pieces of green grass containing a lot of air.
Caddisflies feed mainly on the green pulp of aquatic plants, so you need to look for them among the grass. But there are also predators among caddis flies. Such caddis flies cannot be called shitites, because they do not weave themselves with a cobweb cover, do not stand and “lined” their houses, but lead a very active lifestyle. These caddis flies use the thinnest thread to cling to something at the bottom and stay in the current, and they also set up special catching nets from their cobweb threads. The nets, which look like funnels, have a wide hole against the current and are attached motionless to aquatic plants, stones and other underwater objects. Such caddisflies feed on the larvae of mosquitoes, mayflies and even small crustaceans, gnawing them with strong jaws. These caddis flies are not usually used for fishing. They are quite difficult to find and preserve. But you can easily collect caddis flies in houses in the summer directly with your hands. Their shelters are clearly visible in clear water. And by pulling a bunch of aquatic vegetation ashore and carefully examining it (the larvae have real “camouflage”, since the houses are built from the material that is nearby), you can also detect caddis flies and collect them for fishing. By lightly pressing on the walls of the caddis house, you can carefully pull it out of the house without damaging the larva.
General information about caddisfly
A caddisfly is an insect, or rather, even a whole squad of them, whose appearance is very similar to completely inconspicuous grayish-brown moths or even a fairly large moth, only their wings do not have scales, but real thin hairs and very often have a rather unpleasant aroma. In etymology, this order has a whole section - trichopterology.
The scientific name of caddisfly larvae is larva, they have a popular name - shitiki.
Although caddis flies are land creatures, their larvae, surprisingly, hatch, live, and turn into pupa in the water.
Caddisfly catch
Caddis flies are collected in shallow water and in windows of underwater vegetation. Here, sometimes, you can collect several dozen specimens from a small underwater meadow. To catch larvae, use a net with a small mesh. Often, when you pull a snag out from under the water, you can find several larvae on it. But the easiest way is to take a stick with a flyer at the end and, immersing it in seaweed, wrap it around the stick. And then on the shore you can calmly select the required number of larvae from the underwater “wilds”. Experienced fishermen know another, no less productive way of luring caddis flies. You need to make a kind of broom from the branches of coastal vegetation. And, sprinkle it with flour, immerse it in water for about a day. And after this time, the broom is taken out and a rich harvest of larvae is selected from it.
As practice shows, the best caddis flies for fishing are large, dark greenish, even olive-colored. But we should not forget that this catchable bait, once caught, dies very quickly if suitable conditions are not created for it.
What is a caddisfly?
By its nature, a caddisfly is a larva of a meadow butterfly that lives in a built “house”, or cover. When the period of transformation begins, the caddis fly gets out of the water and prepares for the transition to a new life. Only in appearance the shitik is quite trivial and unattractive.
What does a caddis fly look like?
To many, it may seem completely disgusting, since it has a segmented body, three pairs of spiny legs and powerful jaws. Moreover, this entire set is reddish-transparent, reminiscent of the color of a cockroach or other parasites.
What does a caddis fly eat?
The caddisfly is a typical predator. Its diet includes mosquito larvae, mayflies, and even small crustaceans.
Caddisfly storage
Storing caddis flies If you need to store caddis flies for 2-3 days, they are stored in a wet cloth, or in a plastic box, between two soaked strips of foam rubber.
The fact is that the caddisfly that leaves the house dies quite quickly. Therefore, for long-term storage, the larvae need to be laid in a row on a wet cloth and wrapped tightly on both sides, so that the caddisfly does not have the opportunity to leave the house. In this form, in a cool place, the larvae live for a month. When fishing, often, to give the caddisfly greater mobility, it is stored directly in a rag bag lowered into the water. Having laid out the caddisflies collected in the “houses” on a plastic bag in one layer so that the larvae do not touch each other (otherwise they may be damaged when thawing), you need to cover them with a second bag and put them in the freezer of the refrigerator. If you place the larvae carefully, in even rows, then on the eve of fishing it is enough to cut off the required number of caddis flies with scissors and put them in the box in the inner pocket. During their journey to the pond, the caddis flies will thaw and be ready to be hooked.
Before attaching it to the hook, the larva is removed from its improvised shell, and if this is difficult to do, they prick it with a pin from the back, or simply break the house.
How to plant a caddisfly
The larva should be removed from the house before direct use. You need to lightly press on the shell and carefully remove the “tenant” from the house. There are several ways to plant a caddisfly:
- Pierce half of the head with the sting (the nozzle will hang down).
- Plant like a worm.
- Pierce the shitika crosswise and leave the point of the hook open.
Some fishermen plant shitiks in a ring. If the bite is active, then several specimens can be hung on one hook. If the bite is weak, the shitik should be planted in such a way as to hide the sting.
In fishing stores, pay attention to artificial caddis flies for fishing - in winter this is a very effective and practical option.
Fishing with caddis larva
There are no special secrets when fishing for caddis flies. Line diameter - 0.18-0.2 mm; hook - No. 4-5; the float is small in size, not too bright. It is advisable to use a 0.15 mm leash. This is due to the fact that when fishing with a retrieve, hooks are inevitable, so you have to sacrifice your hook from time to time. It is not recommended to use “braid”; when pulling the tackle against the current, it twists, which leads to the formation of “beards” that are difficult to untangle.
The bites, as usually happens when fishing in the current, are decisive. The float either quickly moves to the side or plunges sharply. It’s worth waiting a couple of seconds for the fish to swallow the bait deeper, and then hook. Carry out fishing in a forced mode. The fish is trying to escape into the coastal thickets, and if you allow it, it will almost certainly break away. To prevent such a turn of events, try to keep the rod perpendicular to the bank and bring the prey closer to the center of the river. The strength of the resisting fish is combined with the strength of the current, and the result is even more pleasure.
Tackle
The gear for catching caddis flies can be the most ordinary float rod. But it is much more convenient to use a one-handed spinning rod of medium length (2.5-2.7 m), equipped with a spinning reel. The fact is that the banks of small rivers and streams, where fishing usually takes place, are usually replete with bushes. Using a long rod is inconvenient and sometimes impossible. The inertia-free reel makes it possible to release the bait far enough, which allows you to fish long areas without leaving the spot. There is no other way to catch large fish in a river where the average depth ranges from half a meter to a meter. Thanks to the shallow depth and clear water, the fish notice the angler even before he has time to cast the fishing rod. Large individuals immediately retreat downstream. Maybe this is why many fishermen believe that serious people have absolutely nothing to do on the banks of small rivers. Having tried fishing in such places a couple of times and having caught a dozen roach and perch, such specialists never return here again. Meanwhile, a river that is inconspicuous at first glance can present us with trophies that we can only dream of on a big river.
Swim fishing with a ball-shaped float is effective for catching trophies in the upper layers of reservoirs. The method has several advantages. The transparent ball-shaped float does not scare away the fish, and the bait is presented very naturally. The method is ideal for sport fishing on riffles.
Methods for planting caddis flies
Methods for attaching a caddis fly There are two ways to attach a caddis fly to a hook. In the first case, the larva is pierced through with a hook under the head, similar to how bloodworms are placed on the hook of a jig during winter fishing. In the second, the hook is hidden completely in the body of the larvae, this is how a dung worm is usually attached in the summer. The first method is preferable for active biting, the second for sluggish biting.
Using bait
Using bait often does harm instead of good. A strong current washes away the food and carries it far down, and the fish naturally follows. To attract fish, you can crush several houses with larvae and throw them into the water. Usually this is enough. The operation can be repeated after 10-15 minutes.
Finding a place to fish for caddis flies
You should look for fish in relatively calm water, but close to the main stream. Small places where the current is quite strong, and deep pools in which there is little food are unpromising. As mentioned above, the fish feeds very actively, but the energy spent during spawning has not yet been restored. Therefore, roach, perch, and chub stand in shelters and from there rush at prey passing by. The best places are exits from rifts, pitfalls, snags, and river turns with a reverse flow. It is more correct to move downstream and, having discovered a promising place, throw the bait into the water and let the current float it to this place. If after two or three casts there is no bite, move on. Try to follow the basic rules of camouflage. You don’t need to crawl on your bellies and hang branches on your head, but you shouldn’t run along the shore waving a fishing rod either.
After you have managed to catch several fish in the same place, change the fishing location. The big fish have already left here anyway, and the small fish are not what we go fishing for. If there are several good places at a short distance from each other, it is worth fishing them in turn. We start from the top one, fish for 15-20 minutes, move on to the next one, etc. It makes sense to stay longer only if the bite is active and the size of the prey suits you. Having fished at the very bottom, we return back, but not along the shore, but at some distance from the water, so as not to scare the fish. All this disguise may seem funny to some, but without it you can hardly count on luck.
Fishing in winter
The value of bait increases several times in winter. Although production becomes more difficult. But by using some tricks, you will always have fresh material for fishing. The larvae of caddis flies and many semi-aquatic insects overwinter at a depth of 2-3 meters. With the help of special traps, it will not be difficult to obtain them constantly.
Fishing for caddis
Before you go fishing, you need to prepare the appropriate gear. To do this you will need the following components:
- Fishing rod with a large float. Some anglers prefer to use a spinning rod. There is an inertia-free reel here that allows you to quickly reel in excess fishing line;
- A net for catching prey. It will allow you to quickly pick up your catch when pulling it out of the water.
Where to find caddisfly
One of the common and accessible methods that fishermen often practice is a visual inspection of the coastline. Caddis flies are most often found no deeper than 20-50 centimeters, they are noticed with the eyes, after which they are taken out of the water right with the house, putting them in a container with water. The method shows excellent results if several conditions are met at once:
1. There are a lot of caddisflies
2. Convenient shore and access to the water
3. If you are wearing rubber boots or other high shoes (about boots for fishing, it’s somehow not very good to go into the water barefoot), there is an opportunity to get a caddisfly from the depths (try chasing a caddisfly at a depth of 30 centimeters, especially if there is even a weak current) - it’s okay not the easiest thing.
The second collection option is a method in which the fisherman takes fallen branches and algae from the water, and from their surface collects caddis flies that have not managed to escape. It seems that everything is clear here, but the above points also apply here. And also, pay close attention to the important fact that it is not always possible to find a suitable sunken object on which there will be caddisfly larvae.
Well, the third method is a variation of method number two. You need to take several twigs, maybe dry ones, tie them together and tie a heavy weight on one side and a rope on the other side. The load must have significant weight so that the branches do not float up. The whole thing, on the eve of going fishing, is thrown into the water (near the shore), where the larvae were noticed. The end of the rope is fixed to a peg, which is best stuck into the bank, or tied to overhanging bushes and branches. After 1-3 days, use the rope to quickly remove the branches (without jerking) and collect the required number of attached caddis flies - it’s simple. Then, the instrument is again placed in water for several days. Note that you can build several of these “devices for collecting caddis flies” and hide them on a river or lake in several places where you fish. So it turns out that you can be sure of the regular presence of caddis flies. The technique is indeed many times more convenient than “walking” along the shore with a jar in search of larvae.
