Cranefly
Also called Crane fly, Crane-fly
A cranefly is a long-legged fly whose larvae live in wet soil, stream edges, or slow water. The larva is a common food item for trout in some waters.
- Group
- Aquatic insects
- Category
- Entomology & forage
- Level
- Intermediate
- Water
- Freshwater
Last updated
What Cranefly means
Depending on the species, the larva lives in soft soil along the stream, in the bank, or in the streambed, not just in the main current.
Cranefly larvae get eaten when they are dislodged, washed out of banks, or drift along with debris. The adults can end up in the drift too.
Imitations are commonly fished as larger nymphs with a simple profile, a bit of weight, and a dead-drift.
Why it matters on the water
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- Dead driftA dead drift is a drift where the fly moves at the same speed and direction as the current, with no pull from the fly line.
- MayflyA mayfly is a freshwater insect with aquatic nymph stages that trout and other fish eat in every stage of its life cycle, from nymph to dun to spinner.
- MidgeA midge is a small two-winged fly; in fly fishing it often means a chironomid. Most of their larvae and pupae live in water. Midges hatch in every month on many rivers and lakes, and trout eat them year-round.
- NymphA nymph is a subsurface fly meant to imitate an aquatic insect in its immature stage, or a small food item drifting in the current. Nymphs are fished with or without weight, an indicator, or tight-line methods.