SKWALA STRATEGIES
Fishing big surface bugs always seems pretty easy—toss it out there, work in a mend, maintain the drift, and set the hook when you get an eat. That’s simple enough.
Nonetheless, there are certain things you can do to improve your catch ratio when fishing big dry flies, especially those imitating Skwalas. Focus part of your efforts on presentation and part on the water you’re targeting, because both are equally important in the equation for success.
For starters, remember, Skwalas are movers and shakers when they’re on the water. While some females will fly to the stream surface to deposit eggs, many also crawl from the banks and into the current to complete the life cycle—and they create a wake on the water as they scurry along, which attracts hungry trout below. Movement is an element that’s similar to any other stonefly event, and it should be part of your presentation. Put simply, forget dead drifts. Purposely move the fly after the first initial mend. After that, retrieve slack and continue to animate the fly from side to side by twitching the tip of your fly rod. Intermittent dead drifts will help from time to time, but by no means should that be the only type of presentation you rely on.
WILLY’S WINGED CHERNOBYL
HOOK: Ahrex PR351, sizes 8 to 12.
THREAD: Black 3/0 monocord.
UNDERBODY: Red, purple, or dirty gold rabbit fur dubbing blended with Wing N’ Flash and pearl Flashabou of a similar color.
BODY: Twin layers of black or brown 2-millimeter open-cell foam.
LEGS: White Flexi Floss segmented with a black felt tipped pen.
WING: White EP Fibers or Antron.
Second, target a wide variety of water types wherever Skwalas hatch—around banks and near in-river structures are great places to start. Skwalas will emerge from shucks around these areas, and some unfortunate members will lose footing with a simple gust of wind and end up in the water. But because they crawl from banks and structures and are carried along by the current for such long distances while releasing their eggs, many other holding-water types can be productive. Riffles and long, flat pools can yield good results. This is especially true when the fly is moved in the manner described above. However, along seams (where fast water collides with slow water) and current margins are perhaps the most productive water types in my experience, though I’ve also noticed consistent action along seams created by channel confluences.
Some of the best action I have observed, however, can occur on seams separating main channel currents from slow-current pools, or outright dead pools that have no discernible current at all. These seams are places where trout can rest on the current margin and still have access to drifting forage in the nearby, fast-moving current. Imparting some movement to your fly is still important in this water, but here you’ll generally want to target the banks that Skwalas are moving to alongside the pool’s perimeter when adults are emerging, and along the current seam when the bugs move to dispense eggs.
Because Skwalas emerge as water temperatures warm into the high 40s, it seems obvious that afternoons should be the prime times for fishing. This is no doubt true, but do not ignore the possibilities that exist in the morning hours, even early morning. I have seen Skwalas on the water as early as 8:30 a.m. on the Snake and Bitterroot rivers. In some respects, they have a lot in common with the short-wing mutant stoneflies that emerge later in the summer on many streams, or there may simply be a significant number of females that emerged from the previous day’s hatch. Trout will key in on these bugs in the morning just as much as they will in the afternoon.
SKWALA SILHOUETTES
Skwalas mean solid early-season dry fly fishing with big surface imitations. The most popular patterns are size 8 or 10 variations of the Chernobyl Ant that feature fluttering wings and rubber or Flexi Floss legs. More traditional patterns, however, can be just as effective. Kaufmann’s Stimulator and the original Double Humpy are two of my favorites, and most effective when intentionally skittered or moved across the water’s surface. Many fly fishers contend that the heavy hackle used on these patterns is key to their success. The hackle creates a wake that mimics the natural disturbance created by a Skwala as it scurries along the surface. The legs on foam ant patterns can create a more natural silhouette, but the wake isn’t so imitative. My suggestion is going to the water equipped with both heavily hackled patterns as well as legged flies.
The dry fly fishing during a Skwala emergence can be exciting when timed right. Nymphs will also produce, and I turn to them either for a change of pace or to prospect for larger trout when fish aren’t eating on the surface. As with my adult imitations, I tend to go with size 8 or 10, short-shanked hooks. A simple Pat’s Rubber Leg or a slightly more complex Flashback Hare’s Ear Nymph with rubber legs are two of my favorites. I target the same types of holding water as I do with dry flies—banks and structures, confluence lines, current margins, heads of riffle runs, and seams. These and other imitations produce best along current margins and seams throughout the day.
Fishing a Skwala emergence can be a fun experience. It’s hard to beat skittering a size 10 attractor across a river’s current to rising trout as the first rays of warm sunshine fill the spring air. Yes, you may need to deal with early runoff issues and the unfortunate encounter with a muddy river. But if your timing is right, the efforts you put into fishing any Skwala hatch can be well worth it.
Boots Allen is a fly fishing guide and writer who lives with his wife and two kids in Victor, Idaho. His latest book is Finding Trout in All Conditions.