What hatches in August: flies and patterns

8 entries in the Hatch Window curated chart are typically active in August, with the fly patterns that match each.

By water type

• Tailwater: Midges, Caddisflies (general), Pale Morning Dun, Trico, Hoppers, ants & beetles, Scuds & Sowbugs, White Fly
• Freestone: Midges, Caddisflies (general), Pale Morning Dun, Hoppers, ants & beetles, Isonychia / Slate Drake, White Fly
• Spring creek: Midges, Caddisflies (general), Trico, Hoppers, ants & beetles, Scuds & Sowbugs

Hatches and matching patterns

Midges

• Zebra Midge (nymph, size 18-22)
• Griffith's Gnat (dry, size 18-22)
• Rojo Midge (nymph, size 20-24)

Year-round on tailwaters, most reliable hatch on cold winter days when little else is moving.

Caddisflies (general)

• Elk Hair Caddis (dry, size 14-18)
• Sparkle Pupa (emerger, size 14-18)
• LaFontaine's Deep Sparkle Pupa (nymph, size 14-16)

The spring "Mother's Day caddis" emergence is a marquee Western event on rivers like the Arkansas.

Pale Morning Dun

• PMD Sparkle Dun (emerger, size 16-18)
• PMD Parachute (dry, size 16-18)
• PMD Pheasant Tail (nymph, size 16-18)

Classic summer morning hatch on tailwaters; fish are often selective to exact size/color.

Trico

• Trico Spinner (dry, size 20-24)
• CDC Trico Dun (dry, size 20-24)

Early-morning spinner falls; tiny flies and light tippet, technically demanding but very reliable on Western tailwaters and Eastern/Midwest spring creeks alike.

Hoppers, ants & beetles

• Dave's Hopper (terrestrial, size 6-10)
• Chernobyl Ant (terrestrial, size 8-12)
• Foam Beetle (terrestrial, size 12-16)

Late-summer bank-water staple, especially on windy afternoons.

Isonychia / Slate Drake

• Isonychia Nymph (nymph, size 10-12)
• Slate Drake Dry (dry, size 12-14)
• Adams (dry, size 12-14)

A strong-swimming nymph often fished in the margins during high water; the dun hatch runs through late summer into early fall.

Scuds & Sowbugs

• Scud (olive/tan) (nymph, size 14-18)
• Sowbug (nymph, size 14-18)

Not a hatch, a year-round staple on cold, stable tailwaters and spring creeks (the South Holston and Clinch in Tennessee, the Bighorn and San Juan out West, Pennsylvania limestoners, the Driftless Area) where crustaceans outnumber insects.

White Fly

• White Wulff (dry, size 12-14)
• White Fly Comparadun (dry, size 12-14)
• White Fly Nymph (nymph, size 12-14)

A dense late-summer dusk emergence on Eastern and Midwest rivers (the Yellow Breeches and lower Susquehanna, White River drainages); duns and spinners come off together in a brief, blizzard-like window.

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