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Hatches › Damsel / Dragonfly
Anisoptera · suborder
Dragonflies are important stillwater and slow-water trout food, especially as underwater nymphs. They are not usually a dense hatch like midges or mayflies, but a dragonfly nymph is a big, meaty target. Trout often find them around weeds, pond edges, lake margins, soft-bottom channels, and backwaters.
Category
Damsel / Dragonfly
Category
The insect or forage category for this profile.
Key stages
Egg, Nymph, Emergence, Adult
Key stages
Life stages most relevant to fly fishing this hatch or forage.
Dragonflies go through incomplete metamorphosis: egg, aquatic nymph, and adult. The nymphs, also called naiads, live underwater and are active predators. They feed on other aquatic insects, mosquito larvae, small aquatic organisms, and sometimes even small fish or tadpoles. NC State Extension notes that dragonflies spend most of their life cycle in the nymph stage and require permanent water, while the National Park Service also describes dragonfly larvae as underwater predators. For anglers, the best dragonfly water is usually slower and more vegetated than classic mayfly riffle water. Think weedy lake edges, ponds, marshy coves, beaver ponds, spring creek bends, sloughs, backwaters, and soft river margins. Dragonfly nymph patterns are especially useful when worked slowly near the bottom, crawled through weeds, or stripped with short pauses along structure. Adult dragonflies can get eaten too, especially when they crash, get blown down, or skim close to the surface. Still, the nymph is the main angling stage. Fish dragonfly patterns when you are around shallow vegetation, mud-bottom lakes, ponds, and slow edges where trout have time to inspect and ambush bigger prey.
Also known as: dragonfly nymph, dragonfly naiad, naiad, dragon nymph, adult dragonfly, darner, skimmer, clubtail
Female dragonflies and damselflies lay their eggs on or within aquatic plants, typically near the water's surface.
After hatching, the eggs develop into aquatic nymphs, often called naiads. These formidable underwater predators spend a significant portion of their lives beneath the surface, preying on other insects and serving as a crucial food source for fish.
Once fully grown, the nymph climbs out of the water, often onto vegetation. Its exoskeleton then splits open, allowing the adult insect to emerge.
Adult dragonflies and damselflies are strong, winged insects. Dragonflies possess broad wings, while damselflies are characterized by their more slender bodies and narrower wings.
Nymph
McFly Angler
Materials
Emergence
Fly Tying Zone by Dave Hise
Materials
Adult
Bow River Troutfitters
Materials
Not yet recorded on a featured water
Rivers and lakes where this hatch or forage item matters will appear here.
Episode 181 · Mar 2, 2023
Episode 156 · Jun 3, 2020
No fish food-web links recorded yet
Fish species that feed on this bug or forage item will appear here as food-web links are added.
