Water Striders

Rob Snowhite

unread,

Nov 18, 2015, 6:19:48 PM11/18/15

to Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders

Has anyone witnessed a fish eating a water strider? I have not. I don't understand why they are not crushed by bluegill and other fish. My hypothesis is that they either taste noxious or the fish can't see them. I have seen them swim over fish with no worries. The fish at Riverbend take shelter in the shade provided by hundreds of the little critters.

I'm awaiting Gene's response.

Gerridae - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



				Gerridae - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Gerridae is a family of insects in the order Hemiptera, commonly known as water striders, water bugs, pond skaters, water skippers, or jesus bugs. Consistent with t...

				View on en.wikipedia.org	Preview by Yahoo

Rob Snowhite

TurbineBlade

unread,

Nov 18, 2015, 8:03:02 PM11/18/15

to Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders, r...@robsnowhite.com

Oh boy, I've been sipping on Glenfiddich this evening......sure it's only Wednesday, but I haven't slept in days.

If they were unpalatable to fish and it was a learned response, I would expect to see the occasional fish eating (or attempting to eat) one before avoiding them entirely. I've never seen a fish even attempt to go after one.

I dunno..?

Oh hey -- it's face-off time I think...

Gene

namfos

unread,

Nov 19, 2015, 10:04:44 AM11/19/15

to Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders, r...@robsnowhite.com

For whatever reason the fish don't eat 'em, I generally avoid fishing where there are water striders -
In my experience you don't find any fish anywhere near them. I could, of course be totally wrong.

Mark

namfos

unread,

Nov 19, 2015, 10:22:28 AM11/19/15

to Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders, r...@robsnowhite.com

See http://bit.ly/1SHRfElche

Mark

Richard Farino

unread,

Nov 19, 2015, 12:59:05 PM11/19/15

to Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders

Striders, some boatmen, and skaters all actually secrete s type of fish repellant. If you see them, fish elsewhere.

R

Richard Farino

Urban Angler VA | 108 N. Washington Street 2nd Floor | Alexandria, VA 22314

(703) 527-2524 | fax: (703) 527-3313 | ric...@urbanangler.com

--
http://www.tpfr.org
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to tidal-potomac-fly-...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tidal-potomac-fly-rodders/178123160.6961402.1447888603742.JavaMail.yahoo%40mail.yahoo.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

TurbineBlade

unread,

Nov 19, 2015, 1:05:03 PM11/19/15

to Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders

Southern Maryland watermen also secrete a repellant. I noticed it sitting in Pancakes Plus one day.

Gene

On Thursday, November 19, 2015 at 12:59:05 PM UTC-5, Richard Farino wrote:

Striders, some boatmen, and skaters all actually secrete s type of fish repellant. If you see them, fish elsewhere.

R

Richard Farino
Urban Angler VA | 108 N. Washington Street 2nd Floor | Alexandria, VA 22314

(703) 527-2524 | fax: (703) 527-3313 | ric...@urbanangler.com

From: Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders <tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Rob Snowwhite <r...@robsnowhite.com>
Reply-To: Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders <tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com>
Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at 6:16 PM
To: Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders <tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Water Striders

Has anyone witnessed a fish eating a water strider? I have not. I don't understand why they are not crushed by bluegill and other fish. My hypothesis is that they either taste noxious or the fish can't see them. I have seen them swim over fish with no worries. The fish at Riverbend take shelter in the shade provided by hundreds of the little critters.

I'm awaiting Gene's response.

Gerridae - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gerridae - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gerridae is a family of insects in the order Hemiptera, commonly known as water striders, water bugs, pond skaters, water skippers, or jesus bugs. Consistent with t...
View on en.wikipedia.org
Preview by Yahoo

Rob Snowhite
--
http://www.tpfr.org
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to tidal-potomac-fly-rodders+unsub...@googlegroups.com.

Auto Generated Inline Image 1

Auto Generated Inline Image 2

Bryan Lanier

unread,

Nov 19, 2015, 1:28:56 PM11/19/15

to tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com

IHOP is worse!

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to tidal-potomac-fly-...@googlegroups.com.

To post to this group, send email to tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tidal-potomac-fly-rodders/178123160.6961402.1447888603742.JavaMail.yahoo%40mail.yahoo.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

--

http://www.tpfr.org
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to tidal-potomac-fly-...@googlegroups.com.

To post to this group, send email to tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tidal-potomac-fly-rodders/cea284dc-c6ad-40ea-91d4-b00cd8fe5f2e%40googlegroups.com.

Matthew Longley

unread,

Nov 19, 2015, 4:06:53 PM11/19/15

to Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders

I always wondered this! Growing up I caught sunfish in the shallows off my dock using basically everything - I've got them on anything from a clover (the plant) to a bare hook. Any fly you splat on the surface generally gets a hit. But all the while these boatmen were swimming all over the place and never got a look.

IHOP is worse!

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to tidal-potomac-fly-rodders+unsub...@googlegroups.com.

To post to this group, send email to tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tidal-potomac-fly-rodders/178123160.6961402.1447888603742.JavaMail.yahoo%40mail.yahoo.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

--
http://www.tpfr.org
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to tidal-potomac-fly-rodders+unsub...@googlegroups.com.

To post to this group, send email to tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com.

arthur noglak

unread,

Nov 19, 2015, 4:59:25 PM11/19/15

to Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders

Tom Rosenbauer and I fished the lower Savage together last year after a presentation he did for my shop in Pittsburgh. Yellow Sallies were all over the place but no fish eating them. We did well during the Sulphur hatch though. Tom told me that in his lifetime he has never seen a trout eat a yellow sally. He is under the impression that they just dont eat em. Has anyone ever seen a trout eat one? i havent and I have never found a good video online either.

Art

Rob Snowhite

unread,

Nov 19, 2015, 5:08:37 PM11/19/15

to tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com

Tom thinks eastern trout don't eat any adult stoneflies.

Water striders probably taste like cilantro.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Nov 19, 2015, at 4:59 PM, arthur noglak <arthur...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Tom Rosenbauer and I fished the lower Savage together last year after a presentation he did for my shop in Pittsburgh. Yellow Sallies were all over the place but no fish eating them. We did well during the Sulphur hatch though. Tom told me that in his lifetime he has never seen a trout eat a yellow sally. He is under the impression that they just dont eat em. Has anyone ever seen a trout eat one? i havent and I have never found a good video online either.
>
> Art
>

> --
> http://www.tpfr.org
> ---
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders" group.

> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to tidal-potomac-fly-...@googlegroups.com.

> To post to this group, send email to tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com.

> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tidal-potomac-fly-rodders/bfea5a7a-239b-4872-99c6-4837e6a8378f%40googlegroups.com.

Misha Gill

unread,

Nov 19, 2015, 5:21:54 PM11/19/15

to Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders

Well I have never seen an eastern trout eat the little black stoneflys, although people talk about it like that's a real thing. I read an account in Dave Hughes' "Wet Flies" of a yellow sally hatch out west he witnessed where fish were taking the emergers swimming through the water column in the middle of the Madison River (IIRC); they are normally crawlers. I've thought a yellow bodied wet fly might work out east during the yellow sally hatch, but I haven't come across a heavy hatch in which to try it out.

namfos

unread,

Nov 20, 2015, 11:02:58 AM11/20/15

to Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders

Is it worse in Charles, Calvert or St. Mary's County, Gene? LOL

Reply all

Reply to author

Forward