About the only clue you will have that the Giant Stoneflies are hatching is finding
a shuck or empty skin of the nymph left to dry when one of the large stoneflies
changed from a nymph to an adult or fully grown fly. When you start seeing
shucks on the rocks and banks of the stream you can be assured the Giants
have started to hatch. Unless you search the high limbs of trees or search the
sky early in the mornings or near dark, it is rare you will spot an adult.
Adult Presentation:
Provided you have found shucks indicating a hatch is underway, when it gets
near dark, you want to try fishing the adult imitations. If it happens to be cloudy
or if the skies are heavily overcast, you may want to start fishing the adult
earlier in the day as much as a couple of hours before it is completely dark.
There is nothing wrong with fishing the imitation on into the night. Doing so in
freestone streams with fast water or where these stoneflies normally exist, can
be dangerous, so you want to be careful. If you are wading, it is best to get into
the position in the stream before dark.
I suggest using an up and across cast. Of course if you hear a trout splash the
surface, you would want to cast to the sound or disturbed area if you can see it.
There is nothing wrong with casting all around you because it is not a good idea
to do much wading in the dark.
If you are fishing a stream with fairly clear banks where trees or other
obstructions would not interfere with your backcast, then that would be the
best way to fish after dark. Most of the activity you will get on the adult imitation
will be just before dark.
