HATCHES

We post current hatch information in the Friday Update, as the season goes on.
If you are looking for general hatch information
check out the chart below and the write-up below that.

Check out our Midge page and our Blue Dun Mayfly page.

Insect Chart	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sept	Oct
Little Black Stones	March and April hatch		crawls to shore to hatch, very small, small black stone nymphs fished slow & low
Blue Winged Olive	Look for these guys anytime during the season.	one or another species of BWO can be found hatching throughout the year in most streams and in most types of currents - probably the Baetis nymph, BWO dry & compare duns will produce the most results for you. Often known to hatch in poor weather conditions.
Quill Gordon	Mid-May to early June		This hatch and the Hendrickson hatch often overlap.		Hatches underwater, fast water, hare's ear wet, Quill Gordon dry
Hendrickson	Mid-May to Mid June		This is an early hatch and often the fish aren't looking up yet - think nymphs.		10's & 12's our first big fly hatch, standard dry & nymph pattern, mid-day hatch 2 - 4pm, 50-55 degree water.
Cornuta	Mid-May to late June		>>>>>>>>>>>>>		A BWO with three tails and bigger than most (14), morning hatch, use pale green emerger, dun darkens upon emergence to olive.
March Brown	Early to late June			>>>>>	another big mayfly, sporadic hatches all day
Yellow Stones				Peak in June - last until August		yellow stone nymph, retrieve slowly towards shore, insect does not hatch in water.
Gray Caddis		Mostly in April and May - some in June		Midday hatch. Gray Elk Hair Caddis
Tan Caddis			Peak late May through August - waning in September				apt to hatch any time of day, more common in the pm - tan elk hair caddis - tan emerger
Olive Caddis			Peak late May through August - waning in September				Actually several species grouped together. Size range 14-18. Color ranges from dark olive to bright green. When in doubt try one.
Little Black Caddis	1st week of June thru Mid August, small size 16 - 18, black elk hare caddis, mid-day, riffles & runs			Peak June through August - waning in September
Light Cahill				June and July - last big fly hatch of the season they all get small after this one.		size 10 & 12, mid-day to late evening, runs
Insect Chart	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sept	Oct
I do not profess to know a lot about aquatic insects. Most of what you find here is taken from my field notes and they are vague at best. If you think some important insects are left out, let me know. If you feel some of the dates are wrong, let me know. I offer this is a very informal, very amateur chart, and will welcome upgrades.

There is nothing unusual about the hatches on the Kennebec. You occasionally get an odd hatch but the good old standbys will serve you well.

For the early season, bring Blue Wing Olives (dry) and Black Stonefly nymphs. You can't go wrong there. A little later on March Browns & Red Quills will bring up more fish. As a bonus you will also get to see some Golden Stones. Sometime before the Blue Wing Olives and the Golden Stones - look out here come the Caddis. And, for the rest of the summer Caddis flies will produce fish.

The Caddis Flies on this river hatch in every size and color you read about. You will have most of the hatches covered if you bring Tan, Olive and Black - sizes 14 & 16. Along about midsummer maybe even an 18. Additionally, you will normally see a lot of Mayfly hatches. Stonefly nymphs will catch fish for you all season.

It's common to catch fish with a Woolly Bugger fished dead drift and right on bottom. That leads to quite a bit of discussion around here - is that nymphing or is that fishing with a streamer. Either way, bring Woolly Buggers with you. When the hatch isn't on, they will get the job done. So will most of the standard nymphs fished that way if you give them a try.

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