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MOSQUITOESDRACULA? NOT TO FISH!!
Most people believe that mosquitoes should be wiped off the face of the Earth, or that they are proof positive that the Devil exists and must have made them personally. But, believe it or not, I consider them my friends. And when they whine in my ear, I feel like they're just trying to tell me they're sorry for causing all the itching. Now why in the world do I feel this way? Because they don't just do the eating (of blood); they also get eaten. And they get eaten by the fish that I want to catch when I go fly fishing --like trout. So, fly fishermen can use the fake blood-sucking devils--(flies)--to catch more fish.
Entomologically, Alaska's state bird (as they are often called because of their horrific size up in the tundra) are of the Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods), Class Insecta (Insects), Order Diptera (Flies), and Family Culicidae. They have been on the Earth for about 30 million years and they seem created to do one thing: suck blood. Mosquitoes are equipped with chemical sensors that can "see" lactic acid and carbon dioxide emissions up to 100 feet away, visual sensors that can pick up on colors that contrast with the natural background so that when anything moves it is prospective prey, and of course their sharp heat sensors.
They were first called "mosquitoes" by the Spaniards in North America in 1583. The name means "little fly", although most of us probably think of them as "little demons". Trout, sunfish, salmon, whitefish, big eye herring, and Arctic grayling all eat the adults or nymphs. So, the fly fisherman would do well to have some wet flies in his tackle box. The fact that artificial flies can be very effective has been very much overlooked because the fish that feed on our itchy friends seem to really love mayflies and midges and focus on them for their insect food. But, hey, my pals are, after all, "little flies".
Since they are born in water, it makes sense that the fish that eat them have seen them below the surface of the water of their stream, river, lake, or pond. Thus wet flies can be a great asset for the fly fisherman, especially if he's getting nowhere fast with his mayfly or other lures one day. These are especially useful in going after stream trout, which spend at least 90% of their time feeding below the water's surface. Of course, can also be highly effective, especially for those of you who really like to be purists about your fly fishing. It also makes sense to use dry flies in the dog days of Summer when the adults are all over the place (and "fly fishing" for humans). P.S. If you like to go camping or RVing, you should consider contacting
Travel-Trailer-RV Camping.com
for some great fun. They promised me there would be no mosquitoes.
Return from Mosquitoes to Fly Fishing Flies
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