by Marc Martyn, May 07, 2009

In the early spring, just after the ice leaves the lakes, figuring out what trout are feeding on can be perplexing. The lingering winter weather with it’s cold nights, cool days and water temperatures in the low 40’s, is a time of year when there are not many insect hatches. There may be a large midge hatch, but matching that hatch can be difficult.

The first area of a lake to warm up after ice out is the shallows. By late March and early April, the sun is quite warm and the shallows will be considerably warmer than any other part of the lake. Trout will migrate to these areas because there is more food and the oxygen level is higher. They will stay in the shallows until the water temperature rises to an uncomfortable level and the oxygen level drops at which time they will then move out into deeper water and seek out the thermocline.

The shallows hold many nymphs that trout will feed on. One insect that is often overlooked by fisherman is the Water Boatman. Since it is a air breathing creature, it has to return to the surface of the water to get oxygen. They are commonly found in water depths of 15’ or less. Their swimming characteristics are quite erratic, going in zig zag directions. They are very fast swimmers and can dive rapidly. Keep this in mind when fishing an immitation. When fishing the water boatman pattern, hits by fish are often very sudden and hard. It is a very fun and successful pattern to use.

Over the years of checking stomach samples and catching water boatman with a small net, I have come up with a pattern that I have found quite successful. In this issue I will share my pattern with you. The color variations of the Corixa Bug vary quite a bit, ranging from brown to tan and even black and white. There are no absolute colors of the pattern to use. Tie up patterns that match the colors of the samples you have taken in a specific lake. The following photo is of a water boatman captured at Medical Lake in one foot of water at the boat launch. My example will imitate this sample.

Hook- Mustad 9671 #12
Thread- Black 6/0
Weight- Fine lead free wire
Body- Tan dubbed rabbit fur
Legs- Round brown rubber legs
Wind Case- Synthetic wing material


1.) Tie on one 3/4" long round rubber leg approximately 1/2 way down the hook shank. Wrap the thread crisscrossing over the leg. The legs should have a slight backward sweep.

2.) Wrap the front of the shank with fine lead wire. This will make the fly nose heavy which is what you want. Take a couple of wraps of thread over the lead wire and secure with a drop of super glue.

3.) Tie in a 3/16” wide strip of wing material at the begining of the hook bend.

4.) Spin rabbit dubbing onto the thread. A little trick that I use is to put some SortKwik fingertip moistener on my thumb and index finger. This is the same waxy materials the bank tellers use so they can seperate bills easier. It works great when applying dubbing on thread. Just the right amount of tackiness. You can find it at any office supply store like Office Depot.

(5.) Wrap the dubbed thread forward leaving room for the head of the fly.

6.) Pull the wing case over the back snugly and tie off and whip finish. A larger head is alright to use, since the water boatman has large prominant eyes.

7.) Coat the wing case and head with fast drying clear fingernail enamel. This adds sheen to the case and also makes it more durable. I use a #1 artist brush with natural fibers. Clean the bristles with nail polish remover when finished. These brushes can be purchased at an art supply store.

8.) For markings, I use a permanent marker. Be sure to apply the enamel first and let dry before applying the markings. If you mark it first and then enamel it, the enamel will cause the marker to bleed and run.


Fishing This Little Jewell-

As I mentioned earlier, water boatman normally stay in the shallower water. I always use my floating line with a 9’ leader and tippet. When the trout are cruising the shallows, cast this into their feeding zone. When the fly hits the water, let it sink for a few moments. The heavy head of the fly will simulate a diving action. I then start a fast erratic 1-2-3, pause, 1-2-3 retrieve. This gives the fly an erractic swimming action. When the trout see this, they will attack it aggressively. The stikes are often sudden and ferocious.

The water boatman can be fished in the fall also. When the first couple of hard frosts come, the water starts cooling in the shallower water. Like in the spring time, the trout will once again move into the shallows.

During these times of the year, you will probably see several boats concentrating in the shallow parts of the lake. Many of these guys will be fishing Chironomids. If you don’t know how to fish Chironomids, you can join them anyway. Open up your fly box, tie on a water boatman and join in on the fun.