Angler's Entomology Podcast

Bibios, Heather Flies, Hawthorn Flies, Blossom Flies, Love Bugs - you name it.   An interesting critter that .. for some reason seems more popular in Europe rather than the US.  Whazzup with that? 

Hey all - all about Quill Gordons and Theodore Gordon.  Hope you enjoy it! 

Hey Folks, I'm back!  And here with an episode mostly about moths.  Yep. Moths as they relate to fly fishing.   Check it out, I think you will be surprised.   

Hi folks!  Sorry for the delay, but we're back in the saddle with an episode about Blue Winged Olives ... which are kind of complicated and confusing - but I make it 100% clear.   I think.  I hope.  

Hey folks - yep - worms.  Surprisingly interesting and entertaining even if the patterns are pretty mundane.   That said, don't forget to check out the blog to see the patterns I've posted.  

Today we'll talk about cicadas and leafhoppers - plus we'll have a bonus interview with Charles Card - a guide on Utah's Green River - talking about the fun cicada "hatch" on that river.  To learn more about Charles and book him for a trip, you can reach him at Spinnerfall Guide Service:  www.spinnerfall.com

An episode all about the Zebra Caddis - aka the Alderfly.  Of course with historical diversions along the way.  

How insects breathe underwater ... and more importantly, how we can imitate that.  Which I have to admit, I got a little carried away with.  This is probably my geekiest episode.  So if you want to get to the fly fishing part - jump to about minute 30.  

Everything you could have possibly wanted to know about crayfish.  Maybe.   As well as the mysterious story around Selene's Sure Bet. 

For the purposes of this podcast, the critters I'm talking about are the tiger striped nymphs that fall in the stonefly families Perlidae and Perlodidae.  Enjoy!

Aka Green Caddis, Green Sedges or Rhyacophilidae.  A common, easily identified caddis - at least in it's larval stage, that has wonderful behavior that makes it fun and effective to fish.   We'll talk about the critter - but also a lot about the flies and the history of the flies that imitate them.  

Welcome to Episode 37 - where we'll be talking about those things that are large enough to see, but to small to really see what they are.  things like water mites, daphnia, copepods and ostracods.   They may not be too important for actual fly fishing, but they are super important in terms of the food chain.   So - sit back, enjoy, and I hope you learn something new! 

True bugs?  What is a false bug?  Well, true bugs is the term used by entomologists to refer to the guys that are in suborder Heteroptera.  You may know them as the backswimmers, water boatmen, water bugs, and water striders.  Join me as we talk about their cool behavior and habits.  And check out the blog for some pics and patterns. 

Hi folks, Sorry for the delay in getting this out - but here is an episode all about crane flies.   Pretty cool stuff once you take a moment to actually spend some time looking at them.  Enjoy! 

We all look at spider webs to see what has hatched - but this dives into the critters who actually make the web.  There will also be a few stories about my troubled relationships with these creepy crawlies. 

Here you have it!  An episode about March Browns - for April.  Check out the blog for some pics and patterns - and enjoy the episode! 

Yep - an episode about Drift - that phenomenon where insects drift in the current and that we intentionally and unintentionally imitate.  There is a surprising amount of why/when/how that is out there.  Plus plenty that we don't know.  I hope you enjoy.

Yes, this is the "amphi-podcast".   Amphipods are a super important trout food - often being found year round - but they are also interesting in their diversity.  We'll even talk about mind control in this episode!  

Hi Folks - all about Winter - we are in the depths of it, so why not learn something about it!  In particular, how the critters fish eat survive it.  No blog post, but here are two links:  Here is one for the Western Maine Fly Fishing Expo: https://www.bethelmaine.com/events/details/western-maine-fly-fishing-expo-8018;  And here is a link to that article I pointed out in the podcast - about dragonfly migration: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2018.0741  Hope you enjoy. 

Happy New Year!  All about beetles - terrestrial and aquatic ones.   Lots of patterns on the blog this episode, so check it out at http://anglersentomology.libsyn.com/

Today we are talking about whiteflies - Ephoron leukon and album, altho we'll talk about the genus overall which is worldwide in distribution.   Of course we'll also digress, talking about sex without sex and other fun stuff.   When your done be sure and check out the new Facebook "Anglers Entomology Podcast" page 

Hi folks - here is an episode all about Isonychia bicolor - which goes by a dozen or so other names.  Besides the confusing naming situation, we'll talk about it's bizarre habits, imitations and it's dubious connection to the Leadwing Coachman fly.  

Here you go folks, finally, an episode about teeny weeny flies.   I hope you find the diversity interesting - well, because it is.   And I've, as usual, added some pics to the blog - so you can see what I'm talking about - both of midges and of some of my favorite flies:  http://anglersentomology.libsyn.com/

Bloodsucking little *$#^&*.   We'll talk about their medical importance, how they relate to fly fishing, and perhaps, most importantly, about repellents and how to chose them! 

Probably not your first topic of interest as you're driving to your 4th of July picnic, but they really are interesting.  And fish like 'em.  The fact that they suck your blood?  Well, we all gotta make a living somehow, don't we? 

Grasshoppers, Katydids and Crickets - can't beat 'em.  We'll talk about imitations, as well as they importance in human culture and economics.  I think you'll be amazed at all the diversity.  And, we'll talk about why, at least my guess, as to why hoppers we fish with have red butts.  

An episode all about the Hendrickson ... with, of course, digressions... including hatch charts, history, geography and patterns.  Check out the blog for patterns and pics:  http://anglersentomology.libsyn.com/

Hi Folks - an episode about various caddis families.  Be sure to check out the blog post for this episode too - there are some of my favorite patterns as well as pics of some of these guys.  http://anglersentomology.libsyn.com/  

Tie flies?  Then you ought to be worried about dermestid beetles and clothes moths.  This episode will discuss these guys, how to control them, and the pros and cons of the various solutions.  We'll even do a diversion into how poisons work and 'natural' solutions.  I hope you enjoy the program.  

Hi folks - this is the first of a two parter on caddisflies. Today we'll talk about the group and their life history in general.  We'll also talk about imitating the group in a simple way - and next episode we'll talk about the different families and imitating them in gory detail!  I hope you enjoy...

Happy New Year Folks.  To celebrate 2018 I'm giving you an episode all about black flies - that annoying scourge of the north, and ... in some tropical areas, transmitter of a horrible disease.   Which, on the hopeful side, is one of those afflictions where we have seen success in our battle against it.   And ... I should say, by the way, black fly larvae are eaten by trout...

Today's episode will cover the damselflies. This will act as part 2 for episode 2, where we talked about the close cousin of damselflies, the dragonflies. .   While there will be a little review from Episode 2, we'll also cover their cool mating strategies, courtship, and most importantly, the tricks and tools for imitating them.  

In this episode we're going to talk about Isopods - the group in which Cress bugs reside.  Cress bugs are the only guys that are really relevant for fly fishing, but the group as a whole is fascinating.  I mean really, who can resist talking about a critter known as the "Tongue Eating Louse"?!

Here you go folks - all about ants.   All the fascinating diversity and complexity that we boil down to two bumps on a hook.  Hope you enjoy and don't forget to check out the blog: http://anglersentomology.libsyn.com/  

Yep, a whole episode just about color.  This may be the most interesting episode I've recorded - we'll talk about how color is produced, how we (and fish) perceive it, and how insects use it.  I've added pics to the blog post - that will show examples of what I'm talking about:  http://anglersentomology.libsyn.com/

Hi folks, here is the third and last installment on our "how to" series on collecting insects.  This time we'll focus on the actual deed - tools and techniques for finding and getting insects from the field to your home to study.   This is an episode where the blog post will be especially helpful - as it shows pictures and links of the various tools I discuss.  It can be found here: http://anglersentomology.libsyn.com/.  I hope you enjoy the program!

Today we'll talk about the crawler mayflies - critters which include such important guys as the hendrickson, some of the sulphurs and Tricos.   This is our last podcast on the mayflies!  You can find some pics showing what I describe on my blog posts.  Also, check out the cool interview of my wife - talking about the history of fly tying in Maine, and her tying streamers in the traditional Carrie Stevens style. 

For those of you interested in delving into entomology, here is an episode on how to develop an insect collection.  We'll be talking about all sorts of insects and techniques - both those specific to trout fishing insects, but others as well.  There are tons of links and pictures on the blog post for this episode, which you can find here: http://anglersentomology.libsyn.com/  

In Episode 10 we'll tackle the Clingers - which include the March Brown and the Quill Gordon, among others.  We'll also have a few diversions - to talk about slippery rocks and science - how we claim to know what we think we know.  Regarding the latter - here is the link to the commencement address by Richard Feinman. http://calteches.library.caltech.edu/3043/1/CargoCult.pdf  Also, if you want to see some pics of these critters, I've added some text to the blog page on this subject: http://anglersentomology.libsyn.com/ Enjoy!

We will continue with our overview of the mayflies by looking at the minnow like mayflies.  We'll talk about their complicated naming, migration of mayflies, pronunciation as well as the blue winged olives, the grey drake and the leadwinged coachman.  Enjoy.

In this episode we'll talk about strategies for identifying the critters you find while you are out.   While focusing on insects, the strategies are the same no matter what you are looking at.   I mention several websites that are useful in the podcast - which are: www,bugguide.net; www.flyfishingentomology.com,  and www.troutnut.com.  You can find these links and other useful links on the Angler's Entomology Podcast Website  where there is a blog discussing this episode.  Also, here is the link to the Western Maine Fly Fishing Expo that I mentioned.   I hope you enjoy the episode.

Today we will explore the group of mayflies whose nymphs burrow - at least most of them do.  This includes some of the largest most showy (and exciting from a fly fishing perspective) mayflies - such as Hex's and the Green Drake.   As promised in the episode, here is a link to my wife's pattern, the Hexamongous - http://www.flyfishinginnh.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4222 Here is the pattern too, in case the link gets broken: Hook: Daiichi 1270 Size#8 Thread: Brown Tail: Wood Duck Flank Body: Cream Rabbit Dubbing Rib: Light Cream Floss Back: Turkey Tail Fibers Wing: Wood Duck (Tied in as a loop wing) Legs/Throat: small dark under feather from wood duck - often attached to base of wood duck flank feathers (or mottled brown hen as modified in the post).

Finally! We get to the mayflies!  In this overview we'll talk about their life history, interesting trivia and the categories that we will use to organize further discussions about the mayflies.  Enjoy.

Today we will discuss the Fishflies, Alderflies and Dobsonflies - who make up the order Megaloptera.  They may not be the most important group for fishing overall, but at certain times and locations you may very well come across trout eating them.   And they are fascinating - I mean really, what's up with those whacko dobsonfly jaws?

No, not some obscure mayfly species, but the inventor of the Binomial System of Nomenclature - the language we all use to communicate about all this wonderful diversity.  Ever feel confused about all these latin names?  Well, this podcast will clear all that up.  Honest.

I will start releasing these on an about monthly schedule.  So, this month we are talking about order Plecoptera, the stoneflies.  A relatively primitive group of insects, whose metamorphosis, behavior and lifestyle make them important insects for fly fishing.  We'll talk about white nymphs, behavioral drift and even the evolution of insect flight.  

Today we will explore dragonflies. While maybe not the most important insect for fly fishing, they are fascinating.  We'll learn about their development, survival strategies, eyesight and migration.  Enjoy the program.

Welcome to the Angler’s Entomology Podcast.  In our first episode, I’ll give  you a very brief bit of info about who I am and why I’m doing this podcast. I wanted to take what I knew (entomology) and provide enough background, trivia and history to make time on the water more rich.  In other words, I hope through this podcast, that when you see a critter while fishing you will have a sense of what it is and how it fits in to our wonderful, beautiful world.  I also give some background information on what makes an insect an insect, and metamorphosis – that miraculous change where insects morph from one stage into another. Besides being amazing, however, understanding metamorphosis is key to fishing imitations more effectively.