Entomology - What Is It and Why It's Important...

One of the wonderful aspects about fly-fishing is that it encourages you to learn more about nature. Everything is interconnected and one of the strongest links between various parts of the eco-system comes through acquatic and terrestial insects. Understanding the fundamentals of entomology will help you to determine which important hatches exist on your favourite body of water, comprehend a specific insects behaviour so you can modify your techniques to match this behaviour, and how to recognize and identify which order a specific insect belongs to (ie. Mayfly versus caddisfly). The net result of this increased understanding will be a marked increase in your ability to catch fish (solve the stream side riddle of what the fish are currently eating) and also enhance your appreciation of the incredibe bio-diversity that surrounds you.

Acquatic and terrestial insects are of intrisic importantance to fish and the whole ecology of a watershed. The following links, in combination with good books and on-the-stream experience, will lead you to be a better fly fisher and naturalist :

British Columbia Entomology
http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/angling/bugs/index.phtml

Dragonfly & Damselfly (Order Odonata)
http://www.capecod.net:80/~bnikula/on4.htm

Odonate Links
http://140.232.1.5/~tartiss/odonate.html

Aquatic Ecology (has numerous links to good entomology websites)
http://www.nysfola.org/alinks


Recommended Books:

The Caddisfly Handbook - An Orvis Streamside Guide by Dick Pobst & Carl Richards (published by The Lyons Press)

Hatches II – A Complete Guide to the Hatches of North American Trout Streams by Al Caucci &

Bob Nastasi (published by The Lyons Press)

Matching the Hatch - by Ernest G. Schwiebert Jr (out of print but available in used book stores)
Art Flick’s Streamside Guide to Naturals & their Imitations – by Art Flick (published by The Lyons Press)

Caddisflies by Gary LaFontaine (published by The Lyons Press)