East Texas Hatch Schedule Plus Aquatic Foods

Date Species Artificial Fly & Size Recommended Fish to catch

Jan-Feb Crayfish w/eggs ready to spawn Whitlock's Crayfish 1/0-8 Bass/brown trout

Feb Fire Ants (winged)(1st warm day) Black Ant 12-16 Catfish

Mar Mayfly (Baetis)(sunny afternoon) Adams, Blue Winged Olive 12 Bream/bass/trout

Bees McGinty, Bumble McDougal 12 (no retrieve)

Blue/Black Mud-Dauber McDougal variation 8 (cast near shoreline)

Spring Small toothpick or meadow hopper Joe's Hopper 12-14 Bass/bream

Very small white crayfish Whitish Nymph

Leeches Woolly Bugger, Marabou Leech, Rabbit Leech 10 Bass/bream

Jun Golden Mayfly (Hexagenia) Rat Faced McDougal 8, Dark Hendrickson, March Brown 10-14

Early Summer Red Shiner (N. Lutrensis) Marabou Muddler 2"-3", 6-10 long w/ blood red fins & tail. (Most creeks & ponds can represent 50% of Texas baitfish - fish weedy areas)

Western Cicada (Hemiptera)(spent female after laying eggs) Natural & Black Hairbug 2 Bass love u'm

Predatory Lacewings & Ladybugs in willows (spent females)

Carpenter Ants (winged) Ant pattern 12 (fish on windy days)

Katydid Southern Angular-winged Chartruse hair bug imitation (fish under braches)

Beetle Carrion (slow flying) Softhackle fly, Black Foam Beetle 8-14

Spent Acorn Weevils & windborn spiders

Frog larval phase Tadpolly, Dave's Tadpole

Aug Catapla Sphinx Moth worm Woolly Worm (slow sinking), Catalpa Worm 6

All Summer Grasshopper drab colored large Dave's Hopper 6-10

Moths & Butterflies (Lepidoptera) Woolly Worm 6-8 (sparse hackle)

Grinnel Fly 2 Bass (most effective)                                           

Mud-dauber wasp Mud Dauber McDougal 8 (good searching pattern)

Baby turtle Hairbug (short tail & no hackle)

Damselfly SS Damsel 10-12 Bluegill/Redear

Dragonflies & Damselflies (Odonata) Fair Damsel & Dragon 6-10 Bass

Bait fish & juvenile sunfish Marabou Muddler 8 (various colors) Bass/large bream

Flathead Diver 8-10                                                           

Late summer Hickory worms Wolly Worm 8-10

Fall Webworms & caterpillars Fall Webworm 12, Walnut Caterpillar

Oct Mature hoppers Henry's Fork Hopper 8-14

1st cool front Hugh bright lubbers Big hopper patterns

Dec Mice Hairy Mouse Slider 10 Bass