Troutnut.com Fly Fishing for Trout Home
User Password
or register.
Scientific name search:

Caddisfly Family Leptoceridae

Pictures Below ↓
Several genera in this family can be important to anglers and cause trout to feed selectively. There is a lot of variability in behavior between each genus, so it's helpful to study each one.

Hatching Behavior


Time Of Day (?): Usually afternoon or evening, except for Mystacides (morning) and Nectopsyche (nighttime)

The pupae emerge on the surface.

Egg-Laying Behavior


Females may fall spent (Spent: The wing position of many aquatic insects when they fall on the water after mating. The wings of both sides lay flat on the water. The word may be used to describe insects with their wings in that position, as well as the position itself.) on the surface to lay their eggs or dive to the bottom, depending on the species.

Larva & Pupa Biology


Diet: Wide variety, depending on species: may be insects, sponges, detritus (Detritus: Small, loose pieces of decaying organic matter underwater.).

Shelter Type: Cases of various debris, or just silk

Leptoceridae Fly Fishing Tips


The females of this family are smaller than the males, so imitations of egg-layers should approximate the smaller adults.

Pictures of 8 Caddisfly Specimens in the Family Leptoceridae:

Specimen Page:12
Triaenodes Caddisfly AdultTriaenodes Caddisfly Adult View 4 Pictures
Collected August 7, 2004 from unknown in Wisconsin
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on January 25, 2006
Male Mystacides sepulchralis (Black Dancer) Caddisfly AdultMale Mystacides sepulchralis (Black Dancer) Caddisfly Adult View 10 PicturesThis was one of many of its species which were gathered in small, low-flying swarms of about a dozen insects near the alder trees in the afternoon on a small stream.
Collected August 22, 2006 from the West Branch of Owego Creek in New York
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on August 23, 2006
Mystacides sepulchralis (Black Dancer) Caddisfly AdultMystacides sepulchralis (Black Dancer) Caddisfly Adult View 4 Pictures
Collected September 5, 2006 from the Neversink River in New York
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on October 3, 2006
Specimen Page:12

3 Streamside Pictures of Leptoceridae Caddisflies:

View Full SizeView Full Size and Comment (2X larger)
AddEmail
These caddisflies were thick over the water in the evening on a cold, clear northwoods lake. They were in many places on the lake, all closer to the shady shore, which also was the shore most sheltered from the wind. I'm not sure which of those features attracted them. In this picture: Caddisfly Genus Nectopsyche (White Millers). From Lake Owen in Wisconsin.
These caddisflies were thick over the water in the evening on a cold, clear northwoods lake. They were in many places on the lake, all closer to the shady shore, which also was the shore most sheltered from the wind. I'm not sure which of those features attracted them.

In this picture: Caddisfly Genus Nectopsyche (White Millers).
StateWisconsin
LocationLake Owen
Date TakenJun 10, 2006
Date AddedJun 30, 2006
AuthorTroutnut
CameraCanon EOS 20D
View Full SizeView Full Size and Comment (1.7X larger)
AddEmail
In this picture: Caddisfly Genus Nectopsyche (White Millers). From Lake Owen in Wisconsin.


In this picture: Caddisfly Genus Nectopsyche (White Millers).
StateWisconsin
LocationLake Owen
Date TakenJun 10, 2006
Date AddedJun 30, 2006
AuthorTroutnut
CameraCanon EOS 20D
View Full SizeView Full Size and Comment (2X larger)
AddEmail
In this picture: Caddisfly Genus Nectopsyche (White Millers). From Lake Owen in Wisconsin.


In this picture: Caddisfly Genus Nectopsyche (White Millers).
StateWisconsin
LocationLake Owen
Date TakenJun 10, 2006
Date AddedJun 30, 2006
AuthorTroutnut
CameraCanon EOS 20D

Recent Discussions of Leptoceridae

Does anyone have success fishing this hatch? 9 Replies »
Posted by Troutnut on Sep 24, 2006 in the genus Mystacides
Last reply on Jan 14, 2011 by PaulRoberts
I've been extremely frustrated several times by trout feeding on Black Dancers, especially on the Brule in Wisconsin. The flies gather in little swarms beneath overhanging alders along the bank, usually within a foot or two of the surface, and "dance" around. A trout or two, usually small, will appear below them and rise steadily.

This is one of the most reliable insect activities on that river in the summer. It's quite unlike any other hatch, since it never affects most of the stream. Instead, there are just little pockets of activity here and there along the bank. It would be interesting to see if some of the trout are Mystacides "specialists" who are conditioned to cruise the banks looking for this food source.

At any rate, I've never had much luck catching these trout. I've tried most often on the Brule but I've run across similar situations on Finger Lakes and Catskill rivers in New York, too. Has anyone cracked the code?
Reply

Your Thoughts On Leptoceridae:

You must log in at the top of the page to post. If you haven't registered yet, it's this easy:

Username:          Email:

Password:    Confirm Password:

I am at least 13 years old and agree to the rules.
Top 10 Fly Hatches
BaetidaeEphemerellidaeHexagenia limbataBaetisHeptageniidaeChironomidaeIsonychiaHydropsychidaeEphemerellaEphemerella subvaria
Top Gift Shop Designs
I outfish my daddy!Electric blue Hendrickson dun.I love buggers. Big, green, wooly ones.I outfish my husband!Be the trout.
Eat mayflies.
Top Insect Specimens
Rhyacophila fuscula Caddisfly LarvaHexagenia limbata Mayfly NymphEphemerella subvaria Mayfly DunCorydalus Hellgrammite LarvaEphemera guttulata Mayfly Dun
Miscellaneous Sites