1. Troutnut Forum
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2. Fly Fishing
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3. Do they bite?

I am intersted in studying the aquatic insects associated with fly fishing. The one question I have is....do they bite (or sting)?
Can you handle them bare handed?

I know, I am a whimp.

Here is a site you can scroll thru quickly. Pay particular attention to the section below Hemiptera and below Megaloptera & Neuroptera.

I can Bite

I’ll never forget the time I felt something crawling up the back of my neck. I reached around with my right hand and plucked it off between my fingers. I brought it around to examine it and nearly $#IT. It was a HUGE Dobsonfly. And to top it off it was after dark.

Or the time I was approached by a Game Warden on Colorado’s Blue River. What I believe was a Pteronarcys californica, landed on his ear. When he plucked the thing off and looked at it -------- he nearly $#IT.

When I read the lead post on this thread, I immediately thought of hellgrammites. And as I paged down, I see they also crossed Falsifly's mind.

Once when fishing live hellgrammites for smallmouth as a kid, I caught a small rock bass who was hooked by the insect's pincers and was nowhere near the hook point.

So, while most FF related bugs are more like Ghandi than Ghengis, hellgrammites are or can be an exception...

I'm with you two guys (good company ) that's what I thought of, when they pinch ,you move pretty fast. And yea it's always very dark.

JaD

Thanks for your replies. I'll be careful when I handle the "little buggers".