March

The middle of march usually sees the start of the first large fly hatches, and this is the time of the Duckfly. The Duckfly is a large Chironomid or Buzzer and it is so called because the first hatches coincide with the first ducklings of the year.

Fish feed voraciously on this insect and they can be caught on patterns imitating every lifecycle stage of the insect from the larval stage i.e. Bloodworm to the egg laying female on a Grey Duster. Deep buzzer fishing can be very effective at this time of year but be warned, surface nymphs and some modified traditional wets can be equally as effective depending on the weather and what the fish are doing, so study the water and fish the depth at which the fish are feeding.

The best fishing areas are usually sheltered bays with good weed growth, but depending on the weather good fun can be had in much deeper water as emerging pupae and adult fly are transported in the waves.

The best duckfly areas are refferred to as ‘Duck Holes’ and these are abundant around the lake, although there are some lake areas where the concentration of duck holes is higher and thus they are very popular at this time of year.