Rocky River Trout Unlimited

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    • Fly of the Month Patterns >
      • DRY FLY PATTERNS >
        • Adams Variant
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      • Wet Fly Patterns >
        • Black Gnat
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          • Archive History
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  • Tips - Tying
  • Rocky River TU
    • RRTU Events >
      • Monthly Meetings
      • Streamside Day Trips
      • Alarka Trips
      • Fly Tying Classes >
        • Instructional Tyers
    • Davidson River HEP
    • Conservation >
      • Conservation Partners >
        • NC Camo Coalition
    • Diversity >
      • WOMEN ON THE FLY
      • BSA Merit Badge
    • We welcome your feedback!
    • Become a TU Member
    • Mission and Brief History
  • FORR
  • Programs
    • Trout In The Classroom
    • RiverCourse Fly Fishing Youth Camp
    • Casting Carolinas
    • Wilson Creek Adopt-A-Stream and Stream Watch
    • South Mountain Adopt-A-Park
    • Stone Mountain State Park
  • Resources
    • Fly of the Month Patterns >
      • DRY FLY PATTERNS >
        • Adams Variant
        • Asher
        • Atherton No 5
        • Baigent's Variant
        • Blue Quill
        • BWO
        • BWO Catskill
        • BWO CDC Emerger
        • BWO Sparkle Dun
        • BWO Spinner
        • Carolina Wulff
        • CDC Biot Comparadun
        • CDL Comparadun
        • Coachman Variant
        • Conner's October Caddis
        • Crackleback
        • Dragonfly Dry
        • Dry Pheasant Tail Variant
        • Dun Fly, August Fly,Wasp Fly
        • Early Nelson
        • Egg Laying Caddis
        • Troth Elk Hair Caddis FFI
        • Elk Hair Caddis
        • EZ Caddis
        • Female Adams
        • Fluttering Caddis
        • Ginger Quill
        • Gray Fox Variant
        • Grey Hackle Yellow Dry
        • Griffith's Gnat
        • Hazel Creek
        • Hendrickson
        • H & L Variant
        • Hopper Juan
        • Infallible
        • Japanese Beetle
        • Jassid
        • Jim Charley
        • Klinkhamer
        • Lacewing
        • Light Cahill Catskill
        • Little Green and Little Yellow Stonefly
        • Mr. Rapidan
        • North Carolina Yellow Sally
        • FFI Parachute Adams
        • Parachute Adams
        • Pheasant Tail Dry Fly.Skues
        • Puff Diddy
        • October Caddis
        • Orange Forked Tail
        • Rattler
        • Red Headed Caddis
        • Smoky Mountian Candy
        • Sunkist
        • Trude
        • Rusty Spinner
        • Sulphurs Part 1
        • Sulphur Part 2
        • Yellow Palmer
      • Dry Attractor
      • Midges >
        • Grey Goose Midge Emerger
        • Morgan's Midge
      • Nymphs >
        • Brassie
        • Chironimid
        • Copper John
        • Crossover Nymph
        • Crow Fly
        • Damsel Fly Nymph
        • Deep Sparkle Caddis Pupa
        • Devil's Doorstop
        • Girdle Bug
        • Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear
        • Guinea
        • Hare's Ear Nymph FFI
        • Hot Creek Special
        • Mr. Rapidan
        • Peridgon Nymph
        • BH Prince Nymph FFI
        • BH Prince Nymph
        • Realistic Stonefly
        • Royal Prince
        • Secret Weapon
        • Scud
        • Egan's Tasmanian Devil
        • Tups Indespensible
        • Waterboatman
      • Pupae/Larva
      • Scud >
        • UV Scud
      • Soft Hackles >
        • Center Bead Soft Hackle
        • Grey Hackle Soft hackle
        • Orange Partridge Soft Hackle
      • Terrestrials >
        • Amy's Ant
        • Alen's Cow Killer
        • Cricket
        • Inchworm
        • Jack Cabe Hopper
        • Little River Ant
        • Moth
        • Murray's Flying Beetle
        • Parachute Ant
        • Texas Piss Ant
      • Wet Fly Patterns >
        • Black Gnat
        • Blue Charm FFI
        • Breadcrust
        • Coachman
        • Cock-y-Bundhu
        • Cooper Bug
        • Grizzly King
        • Ibis
        • Parmacheene Belle
        • Orange and Partridge Soft Hackle FFIFFI
        • Red Ass Soft Hackle
        • Tups Indespensible
    • Fly Patterns
    • RRTU Class Recipes
    • NC General Hatch Charts
    • Fly Shops, Outfitters and Guides
    • Fly Fishing >
      • RRTU Reference Fly Tying >
        • Entomology Basics
        • More Entomology Basics
      • More Fly Fishing Basics
      • Fly Fishing Tips
      • Trout Fishing & Trout Fishing Stories
    • Fly Casting
    • History, Reading, References >
      • S. Appalachian & Smoky Mtn History >
        • Archive History >
          • Archive History
          • FORR Campaign >
            • FORR 2020
    • Calendar Copy
  • RRTU Store
  • Tips - Tying
Picture
Lacewing
Fly of the Month 07.21 - Lacewing

Brown lacewing (N. Micromus) and its close cousin the common green lacewing (N.Chrysoperla) are graceful flying terrestrials that are considered beneficial for pest control. The lacewing larvae predate on soft bodied insects such as aphids, mostly eating organic debris and to a much lesser degree, living plants.

With a web-like near transparent wing, lacewings are members of the same branch of insects as the Mantis and the Ant Lion. However, if you pick up a lacewing by hand you will receive a gentle, unpleasant, odorous spray as the little insect earns its reputation as a “stinky fly” (not to be confused with a stink bug or shield bug).

The life cycle of a lacewing begins with eggs placed on plant leaves with an unusual method of each single egg being placed on a stem-like pedestal. The eggs hatch into a very aggressive and hungry larva (these little guys may actually bite you a little bit if picked up) which searches the surrounding grounds and foliage for food. The larva feed for several weeks then pupate, building a cocoon on a leaf. The pupa matures and hatches into an adult to continue the life cycle. Like most terrestrials, the larva and pupa stages of the lacewing are of little importance to the angler.

Our local streams with overhanging banks and overhanging vegetation are the best candidates for using a terrestrial like the lacewing, especially with gardens nearby.

The lacewing adult is a poor flyer and is of primary interest to the angler. Lacewings are nocturnal and are mostly encountered by trout at dusk on windy days. They land by folding their wings in flight and simply drop down from the air to land. As with other flying terrestrials, a little wind sends them off course and into the water.

Any brown or green caddis fly pattern may be used to imitate a lacewing in a rush. However, tying a few more imitative lacewing flies for the summer terrestrial fly box is a better idea. The lacewing has a long brown or green body with a slight hump-back, almost pinky-finger-sized, web-like near transparent wings, small very pronounced spherical eyes and forward protruding antennae.

Brown Lacewing
Green Lacewing


Fly of the Month 07.21

Tom Adams and Alen Baker


Lacewing


Hook:            2xl Dry, Size 12,14,16
Thread:         Chartreuse 8/0 or equivalent
Wing:              Clear Raffia
Abdomen:      Light Olive Sparkle Yarn
Thorax:          Light Olive Rabbit dubbing
Hackle:          Light Dun rooster
Antennae:      Stripped rooster stems

NOTE:  The wing in the photo is raised higher than normal for illustrative purposes.  The natural wing is lower like a caddis.

Directions :

  1. Debarb and mount the hook in the vise and start the thread wraps at the eye.  Make several wraps toward the bend to about the one third mark. Let the bobbin hang.
  2. Select a two inch section of yarn and cut from the card.  Separate the yarn into strands and then split the strand in half, using a bodkin to make the division. Trim an end to square and tie in at the one third mark. Advance the thread trapping the yarn on top of the hook shank stopping at the hook bend. Take the thread back to the one third mark and let the bobbin hang. Make tight touching turns of yarn to the thread and secure with several thread wraps.  Trim away any waste and neaten with thread as needed. Let the bobbin hang.
  3. Size and select a rooster hackle and strip away about a quarter inch of barbs and tie in the bare section immediately in front of the yarn with the “shiny” side toward the eye. Let the bobbin hang.
  4. Dub the thread with the light olive dubbing to form a thin noodle about two inches long.  Form a small dub thorax. Let the bobbin hang.
  5. Make three or four tight touching turns with the rooster. Leave room for the head and antennae.  Secure with thread wraps and let the bobbin hang.  Trim any hackle barbs above the hook shank.
  6. Cut a one inch piece of raffia from the card and spread out to one layer.  Trim with scissors a section that is about three eighths wide.  Fold the length in half.  Trim one end to a tapered shape.  Tie the non trimmed end  on top of the hook shank in front of the dubbing using the soft wrap method for position before tying in tight.  Trim waste raffia and let the bobbin hang.
  7. Select two stripped rooster stems and match the curve.  Tie in on top of the head with the curve up and secure with thread wraps.
  8. Make three or four half hitches and cut the thread close.


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