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Must-have flies

October Caddis Northern California True to their name, these caddis thrill fly fishers on the Upper Sacramento, Pit and McCloud rivers from late September through November. A seasonal hatch on par with the area’s spring golden stonefly extravaganza, dicosmoecus are beefy flies that don’t require a delicate delivery. Anglers skitter 8-10-size stimulators and adult imitators on the surface near shorelines and swing October caddis nymphs in pools to tempt trout chasing the pupae emerging out of inch-long cases from the bottom.

October Caddis
Northern California
True to their name, these caddis thrill fly fishers on the Upper Sacramento, Pit and McCloud rivers from late September through November. A seasonal hatch on par with the area’s spring golden stonefly extravaganza, dicosmoecus are beefy flies that don’t require a delicate delivery. Anglers skitter 8-10-size stimulators and adult imitators on the surface near shorelines and swing October caddis nymphs in pools to tempt trout chasing the pupae emerging out of inch-long cases from the bottom.  (Eric Boyd / LAT)

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By the end of summer, most aquatic insect hatches have petered out, water levels have fallen and smart anglers are casting smaller flies and making sure they ride low in the water — by trimming their hackle, if that’s what it takes.

Elkhair Caddis

Elkhair Caddis
Southland streams With nary a difference between the seasons — stream and river flows are usually on the low side — this reliable dry should work anywhere, anytime on most streams in steep Southland canyons, which are finally cooling off after baking all summer.  (Eric Boyd / LAT)

Woolly Bugger

Woolly Bugger
Owens River
A classic fall technique on the Owens River is to pull streamers, such as dark-colored woolly buggers, in search of big brown trout moving from Crowley Lake into the river to spawn. Spurred by love rather than food, these browns barge in to join the resident trout and attack flies out of aggression, not hunger. Release the spawners but keep an eye out for the equally rude resident browns that follow to eat the spawners’ newly laid eggs. They’re also ravenous for baitfish, so keep olive, black or cinnamon woolly buggers handy.  (Eric Boyd / LAT)

CDC Caddis Emerger

CDC Caddis Emerger
Eastern Sierra streams
With stoneflies long gone and mayflies dwindling, caddis flies are just about the only aquatic insects still hatching. Newly emerged adult caddis tend to skedaddle as soon as they reach the surface, so they’re not as vulnerable to a hungry trout as, say, a mayfly, which lounges at the top to stretch its new wings. Try fishing a Size 18 elkhair with a dun-colored body near shorelines, and keep on hand a number of CDC caddis emergers with green bodies to imitate newly hatched pupae shooting to the surface.  (Eric Boyd / LAT)

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