Fly Size to Tippet Matcher
Look up the balanced tippet range for any hook size from 2 down to 28.
Open tool : Fly Size to Tippet MatcherFly Fishing Hatch Chart
A season by season look at the major mayfly, caddis, stonefly and terrestrial hatches.
Showing every hatch in the chart.
General North American trout hatch chart
| Hatch | Usual months | Hook sizes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midge | All year | 18 to 26 | The winter staple. Fish pupae and emergers below the surface. |
| Blue winged olive | March to May, September to November | 16 to 22 | Loves grey overcast days and drizzle. Two distinct seasons. |
| Hendrickson | April to May | 12 to 14 | One of the first big eastern mayflies of the season. |
| March brown | April to May | 10 to 14 | Sparse but steady. Fish it through the afternoon. |
| Caddis | April to June | 12 to 18 | Heavy emergence on many western rivers in late April and May. |
| Salmonfly | May to June | 2 to 8 | The big one. Timing moves upstream as the water warms. |
| Pale morning dun | May to July | 14 to 18 | Reliable mid morning to early afternoon activity. |
| Sulphur | May to July | 14 to 18 | Eastern counterpart to the pale morning dun. Evening emergence. |
| Green drake | June to July | 8 to 12 | Short window, large fly, fish respond hard when it happens. |
| Golden stonefly | June to July | 6 to 10 | Follows the salmonfly on many western freestones. |
| Yellow sally | June to August | 12 to 16 | Small bright stonefly. Good searching pattern all summer. |
| Trico | July to September | 20 to 24 | Early morning spinner falls. Fine tippet and a long leader. |
| Terrestrials | July to September | 8 to 18 | Hoppers, ants and beetles. Best on warm windy afternoons. |
| October caddis | September to October | 6 to 10 | Large orange caddis. Fish it late in the day. |
| Streamer season | October to November | 2 to 8 | Not a hatch. Aggressive pre spawn brown trout respond to big flies. |
How to read a hatch chart
A general chart tells you what to expect in a season. It cannot tell you what is coming off your river this week. Timing shifts with latitude, elevation, water temperature and flow, and a hatch that starts in April on a low valley river can run six weeks later in a high mountain drainage.
Use this to build a box before a trip. Then get local timing from a fly shop, a river specific chart or a guide who was on the water yesterday. That call is worth more than any chart.
On the water, size and silhouette usually matter more than species. Watch what is in the air, turn a rock in the riffle, and watch how the fish are rising.
Common questions
Will this chart match my home river
Only loosely. Hatch timing shifts with latitude, elevation, water temperature and flow, so a hatch that comes off in April on a low valley river can be six weeks later in a high mountain drainage. Use this as a general season map, then get local timing from a fly shop or a river specific chart.
What matters more than the exact insect
Size, silhouette and how the fly behaves on or in the water. Matching the size and the stage the fish are eating usually beats matching the species.
How do I tell what is actually hatching
Look at the water surface and the streamside brush, turn a few rocks in the riffle, and watch how the fish are rising. A splashy rise and a quiet sipping rise mean different things about what stage the fish are taking.