Ahead of my talk at the Irish Fly Fair in Galway on November 9th/10th on Winter tactics for Stillwater Trout I thought it might be interesting to show  some of the aquatic insects the Trout in the Waterford Lakes tend to feed on during the year.  Now I’m no entomologist but here are a few photos of what I have spooned from the fish nonetheless.

Buzzers

Hoglouse

Snails

Corixa or Water Boatman

Olives

Caddis/Beetle Larvae

Gammarus or Freshwater Shrimp

Damsel Nymphs

Dragonfly Larva

What the trout are feeding on should have a major bearing on what flies to use at this time of year and how to fish them?  This approach has helped me to catch consistently on the Waterford Reservoirs and to catch overwintered browns like this in January????

If you are interested in this approach to fly selection come along to my talk at the Irish Fly Fair and see the flies I will be using this winter and how I am fishing them.  The talk will cover both imitative flies and flies that just work when the fish are feeding on certain “bugs” during the winter and indeed the spring.  For more information on the Irish Fly Fair click here, and on the Waterford Reservoirs click here.