# Paint Creek Hatches



## tcmono (Mar 23, 2004)

I managed to get into a hatch of sorts on my "secret" location on Paint Creek yesterday. There were half a dozen fish in a deep run that were "sipping" bugs off of the surface. I managed to catch one on an ant, but it was an accident (bad cast to a non-riser). The risers wouldn't touch anything I used. Looking at the water, I saw many very small bugs with dark (black) bodies and white wings. Tricos I thought, but this was 4 o'clock in the afternoon, Tricos are a morning deal. BWOs or midges perhaps? Any advise on how to catch these guys?


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## The Downstream Drift (Feb 27, 2010)

Black bodies with white wings? If it was a mayfly I would guess a trico. If the body was a dark olive (which sometimes looks black) it may have been a BWO. If not a mayfly it most likely was one of the several diptera (midge) species that inhabit the creek.

Remember that for some reason Paint Creek's hatches see to not follow any normal hatch schedule. The bugs have a completely different set of rules than any other trout stream in Michigan. I have seen trico hatches in the evening on the creek in years past, even though traditional wisdom would tell us they are a morning hatching bug.

This time of year two fly styles work very well on the creek. Its either terrestrials or very, very small (size 20-24) emerging midges. 

The days that they are on the emerging midges can be alot of fun, however, I seem to always forget my glasses at home those days and tying on a size 24 emerger just isn't going to happen without them. 7X tippet, size 24 flies and my aging eye sight just doesn't mix anymore. :lol:


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## NPuffer (Aug 14, 2012)

I was on the pc from 6pm to about 8:30pm last night and came across a similar situation. Before dark i caught a brown and brook on a small trico. As it started getting dark the fish were rising like crazy on little black bugs but i couldn't get them to hit mine. Started getting eaten alive and called it a night. Its wierd that i catch fish when they arn't really rising and then when its a feeding frenzy i get snubbed.


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## Silverexpress (Sep 6, 2006)

If they are midges, try a Griffith's Gnat. These are suppose to imitate midges having group sex on the surface film. Trout love them. Midges look very similar to mosquitos and likewise some even bite, and others don't.

If they are blue wing olives (BWO's), try a crippled emerger with stiff CDC wings or an emerger with Antron (or similar) wings or a comparadun.The crippled emerger will outfish the other two. The only place I know that sells them around here is Orvis Royal Oak. You only need two if your careful. sz 18-22. 

http://www.orvis.com/store/product2.aspx?pf_id=54GG

The one with Antron wings are very easy to tie. See my avatar picture.

Trico's need real clean cold water. They hatch once the sun has touched and warmed up the portion of the riverbed they are in. They'll form clouds over quieter pools in the sunlight. The Holy waters in front of Gates Ausable Lodge in Grayling is known for Trico Hatches and Brookies.

For more info on insects see this website:

http://www.troutnut.com/

Blue wing olives http://www.troutnut.com/hatch/90/Mayfly-Baetidae-Blue-Winged-Olives

Tricos http://www.troutnut.com/hatch/669/Mayfly-Tricorythodes-Tricos

Midges http://www.troutnut.com/common-name/224/Midges

When I fish these I use a 2wt to 4wt rod with 8 ft (Paint Creek) to 12 ft leaders (Up North) tapering down to either a 6x or 7x tippet 2 ft long. The long ultralight tippets make it easy to perform pilecasts without spooking the fish. The pilecast allow real long drag free drifts.


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## tcmono (Mar 23, 2004)

Based on the photo links in the above posts, I'm 90% sure they were Tricos. Definitely NOT BWOs. They looked just like the picture of the Trico spinners on the water. Guess it's time to go (back) to Orvis and stock up on some 7x and teeny tiny flies. Downstreamdrift, FYI I use the little fly threader devices they sell at Orvis with good results.


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## Silverexpress (Sep 6, 2006)




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## Silverexpress (Sep 6, 2006)

Grab the trico spinner flies.


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## NPuffer (Aug 14, 2012)

I was using a trico spinner yesterday and was getting good action until it started getting dark and the fish really started rising, then i couldn't buy a strike. Could have somthing to do with the dark and small fly combo......i could barrely see what i was doing :lol:


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## Silverexpress (Sep 6, 2006)

Tricos in the Paint are a very good sign of its health.


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## NPuffer (Aug 14, 2012)

Yea i've had steady action with them the past three weeks, i tried a streamer yesterday cuz the water was a bit merky, never caught anything on em (not sure i was doing it right) so when finally i hooked into something i was very excited until i realized it was a chub.......


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## tcmono (Mar 23, 2004)

NPuffer said:


> Yea i've had steady action with them the past three weeks, i tried a streamer yesterday cuz the water was a bit merky, never caught anything on em (not sure i was doing it right) so when finally i hooked into something i was very excited until i realized it was a chub.......


I fished a streamer (wooley bugger) in the higher water after it rained and caught several, including my personal best 16" brown. Got 1 on the bugger yesterday, and had a very nice fish slash at it and miss. Just swung it in the current. The high water sped up the current in the deeper runs and pools and the trout came alive, just like they're supposed to. First time I ever fished a streamer.


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## The Downstream Drift (Feb 27, 2010)

Silverexpress said:


> Tricos in the Paint are a very good sign of its health.


You're right on this one. They, and all of the other mayfly species we have, are great indicators of stream health. If you have someone fishing with you that tries to tell you the creek is dirty just grab a couple of rocks and point out all of the mayfly nymphs crawling around. There are a ton of different species in the creek that most guys don't realize are there.

And don't forget the little winter stoneflies in the creek. They are probably Michigan's most sensitive bug to pollution. You'll find them in Paint Creek and the Yates area of the Clinton.


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## The Downstream Drift (Feb 27, 2010)

NPuffer said:


> I was on the pc from 6pm to about 8:30pm last night and came across a similar situation. Before dark i caught a brown and brook on a small trico. As it started getting dark the fish were rising like crazy on little black bugs but i couldn't get them to hit mine. Started getting eaten alive and called it a night. Its wierd that i catch fish when they arn't really rising and then when its a feeding frenzy i get snubbed.


NPuffer, don't take this as a negative post but I have noticed two different posts that you mentioned catching a brook trout in the creek. I am sorry to say that the odds of one angler catching two brook trout in the creek this season are almost slim to none. Perhaps you have mis-identified the fish? 

The only reason I bring this up is that there is only one trib of Paint Creek that is still holding any brook trout and that population is in a major decline due to urban development surrounding it. Occasionally we will see a couple of brookies in the main branch of the creek below the confluence with this trib but the very low flow and warm water temps this year have prevented this migration. With the water being as low as it has been this year there has been about two inches of flow coming out of the trib into the creek's mainstream.

If you are by chance catching brook trout please take pictures of them. The DNR would be pleased to see photos of your experience. It would be a very big surprise to them considering they have not collected a brookie on the Paint's mainstream during population surveys in over forty years.


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## NPuffer (Aug 14, 2012)

the two brooks i've caught were about 4", i didn't want to risk killing them by fumbling for a picture. But i am 99% sure they were brooks, they were much darker than a brown and had the reddish orangish fin/belly. I was extremely surprised at the first one i caught and after the second yesterday i just figured "hey i guess the pc has brooks"


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## The Downstream Drift (Feb 27, 2010)

It would be great if they were brook trout, however, due to research I have done with the DNR I remain skeptical. Nothing personal. 

I have seen many guys mis-identify a steelhead parr as a brookie due to the parr marks and white fin tips steelhead parr have. Below are two pictures. The first is a steelhead parr and the second is a brookie. Close, but not quite.


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## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

That's what I was thinking. Parr marks, especially on a 4" fish


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## Silverexpress (Sep 6, 2006)

Here's somemore pics of smolts and parr of browns, rainbow and brookie...


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## NPuffer (Aug 14, 2012)

A mis-identification is possible im no expert, but after seeing more pictues now im 99.5% sure they were brooks haha, the first one i caught i had caught a rainbow with parr marks two casts before so i had a fresh reference. I did not realize they "arn't" in the pc, if i ever stumble across one again i certainly will snap a picture. Has no one else caught one?


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## Silverexpress (Sep 6, 2006)

I've caught brookies in that little creek Downstream has mentioned - about 20+ yrs ago. If my memory serves me right it was the time when that neighborhood was breaking ground. 

If you did catch a brookie, that is really really good news about the health of this stream, and hats off to TU, Downstream Drift, DNR and all the rest that's made this possible (even if it's not a brookie, the overall changes I've noticed are still commendable for this Urban stream)!


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## troutmaster (Jun 7, 2011)

Hard to tell exactly what the fish are eating when it's very small. Olives or midges most likely however a small gnat or mosquito (# 20-22) usually works on these situations. As for brookies, I've never caught one in PC and I doubt this would be the year you would find any as downstream already mentioned. Maybe a fingerling brown If not a steely smolt.


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