Ep. 47: Pics and Patterns of Moths

Hi Folks, Here are some pics of moths (both adults and larvae) as well as some patterns I like to fish. So, while that is said, remember that the good old Elk Hair Caddis makes quite a nice imitation of a moth fluttering around on the surface - as do many other patterns - so if you are in a situation where you think a moth pattern might be useful, and you haven't anything in your box specifically tied to imitate a moth - think outside your box and see what else will work. So - first, I want to give you a little sense of the diversity of moths. It is huge and crazy - there are giant ones, ones that look like humingbirds, and ones that are teeny tiny. But even your plain grey moths have a huge amount of diversity (which doesn't need to be imitated in your tying). Take a look at this random drawer from my collection - and while they are all generic grey moths - you can see a lot of variation from species to species (and it isn't like my collection is huge!).

So while they all look like various shades of grey moths from far away - they are gorgeous when you look up close - check out this one - which is in genus Zale:

Or this one - which is a common agricultural pest - super common - called a clover looper:

Obviously, you don't need to imitate all that detail, but they are beautiful. So, how do you imitate them? As I mentioned, an elk hair caddis is a great imitation - both the small ones you have in your box (size 16 and up) or you can tie big ones like this:

Similarly a Stimulator tied large and either light or dark works great:

One of the more interesting patterns I've been playing with is from Dave Whitlock. It is nice and simple - tied only with deer hair - and the pattern is just all about trimming:

OK, let's switch to the larvae - or caterpillars. There is a ton of diversity in caterpillars. Here are a few examples. This one is a Geometrid larva - an inch worm - which are often seen hanging down by a thread of silk (when not imitating a twig).

They also come in brown versions - which are a little less effective from a camouflage perspective when they are on a green leaf...

Here are a few others...

Anyway - with all this diversity you can tie lots of diverse flies as well. Here are a few:

I like this one because it is nice and simple - just a cylinder of foam tied down like a san juan worm. You can do a similar thing with squirmy worm material of the appropriate color. Where, that can be, as you see, anything from green, yellow, white, or brown.

Another one I like (I appeared to have been in a chartreuse mood this day) is one tied like a leech (just smaller, and green). In this case it was tied with lambs wool - which floats for awhile and then sinks - and honestly, I fish it both ways:

You can also opt for a hairy version - in this case, again, just foam wrapped around a hook with a palmered feather.

Which, of course, leads to a wooly worm - which certainly can be used as a caterpillar imitation.

Anyway - these are some ideas. Talk to you next time.