Blog & Latest Updates
Fly Fishing Articles
Insects by Common Name

Trout Streams & Rivers
Trout Pictures
Underwater Pictures

Desktop Backgrounds
Stream & Bug Videos
Image Use Pricing

True Bug Family Corixidae (Water Boatmen)

Mayflies

Caddisflies

Stoneflies

Taxonomic Navigation -?-

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

» Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

» Class Insecta (Insects)

» Order Hemiptera (True Bugs)

» Family Corixidae (Water Boatmen)

Genus in Corixidae
Sigara	0	0

16 genera aren't included.

Common Name

Match	Common Name
	Water Boatmen

Pictures Below ↓

Water boatmen are very common in trout streams, but they aren't an important prey for most trout most of the time. Occasionally they are the important prey and trout feed on them selectively. This is especially likely in weedy mountain lakes and spring ponds.

Where & When

Time Of Year (?): Mating in early spring

Preferred Waters: Most abundant in slow or still weedy waters

Boatmen are available year-round, but they have mating flights in the spring.

Egg-Laying Behavior

Time Of Day: Afternoon

I had never read of this behavior before I saw it for myself. Boatmen climb out of the water in early spring (April where I watched them in northern Wisconsin) and are easily spotted on the remaining snow banks next to the river. The adults fly around over the river, sometimes quite high, and eventually splash down onto the surface, where they make a few kicks to break the film and then disappear. I presume this was their egg-laying behavior, and they did it in such numbers that trout probably fed well on them.

This is based on my one encounter, so there may be more variation in their behavior and I may have misread something.

Pictures of 3 Water Boatman Specimens:

Sigara Water Boatman Adult

View 3 PicturesEvery picture of this specimen was taken with my old camera through a microscope.

Collected November 15, 2004 from Fall Creek in New York
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on April 12, 2006

Corixidae (Water Boatmen) Water Boatman Adult

Corixidae (Water Boatmen) True Bug Adult

View 3 Pictures

Collected January 31, 2004 from unknown in Wisconsin
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on January 25, 2006

Corixidae (Water Boatmen) Water Boatman Adult

View 2 Pictures

Collected January 31, 2004 from unknown in Wisconsin
Added to Troutnut.com by Troutnut on January 25, 2006

7 Underwater Pictures of Water Boatmen:

Underwater Photo Page:12

View Full Size and Comment (2X larger)

In this picture: True Bug Family Corixidae (Water Boatmen).

StateNew York

LocationWest Branch of the Delaware River

Date TakenMay 13, 2007

Date AddedJun 5, 2007

AuthorTroutnut

CameraPENTAX Optio WPi

View Full Size and Comment (1.4X larger)

A water boatman and a scud are visible in this picture. Can you find them?

In this picture: True Bug Family Corixidae (Water Boatmen) and Arthropod Order Amphipoda (Scuds).

StateWisconsin

LocationBois Brule River

Date TakenApr 13, 2004

Date AddedJan 25, 2006

AuthorTroutnut

CameraOlympus C740UZ

View Full Size and Comment (2.5X larger)

A large school of water boatman swims over a strange purple substance at a crystal clear spring.

In this picture: True Bug Family Corixidae (Water Boatmen).

StateWisconsin

Date TakenMar 30, 2004

Date AddedJan 25, 2006

AuthorTroutnut

CameraOlympus C740UZ

Underwater Photo Page:12

1 Video of Water Boatmen:

Water Boatman Rowing

Starring: Corixidae Water Boatman Adult

Water boatmen are excellent swimmers, and you can see here how they use their oars to push themselves through the water, a motion easily imitated by the fly fisher.

State

Locationunknown

Date ShotJan 31, 2004

Date AddedMar 31, 2006

AuthorTroutnut

CameraOlympus C740UZ

Your Thoughts On Corixidae:

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