Waterlands
River Intelligence · Entomology

Read the Water. Match the Hatch.

Every river has an entomological fingerprint — the bugs it grows, when they hatch, and how trout eat them. Learn the bugs, cross-reference live flows, and fill your box before you go.

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Caddisfly

Mother's Day Caddis

Brachycentrus occidentalis

A biblical spring emergence — so thick it can carpet the water. The gamble: it races the start of runoff, and mud cancels the show.

Order
Caddisfly
Family
Brachycentridae
Genus
Brachycentrus
Hook
#14-16
Season · Peak Late Apr-May
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
Mother's Day Caddis
Emergence Triggers
Water Temp
50–56°F
Flow
Pre-runoff window — clarity is everything
Light
Afternoon
Water Type
Riffles and runs
Lifecycle
How Trout Eat It — Stage by Stage
1
Larva
Year-round

Cased "peeping caddis" larvae are steady subsurface fare all winter.

Match It
Peeping Caddis#14
$3.15
Green Rock Worm#14-16
$2.75
2
Pupa
Hours before emergence

The money stage. Swing or dead-drift pupae through riffles as the hatch builds.

Match It
Sparkle Pupa#14-16
$2.95
Graphic Caddis#14
$3.25
3
Adult
Afternoon-evening

Skittering adults draw slashing rises. Dead-drift first, then twitch.

Match It
Elk Hair Caddis#14-16
$2.95
X-Caddis#14-16
$3.15
Cross-Reference
Where This Bug Matters
Waterlands · Hatch data blends USGS gauges, NOAA temps & regional emergence records
USGS Real-time Data · Free to Start · No Credit Card