TIPS & TRICKS · WATER READING
The Bug Hunt
Flip one rock in a riffle and the stream tells you exactly what fly to tie on. No Latin required - just match the shape.
THE TIP
Flip a Rock. Match the Shape.
Joe anchors every fly choice in what the trout are actually eating - and the menu is printed on the underside of the rocks. What you find under a rock is what’s drifting past the fish, and what’s drifting past the fish is what your fly should imitate. Observation before action, in its purest form.
JOE SAYS
“As a boy, Joe noticed trout eating tiny gray-orange freshwater shrimp - so he tied a fox-fur shrimp on a size 18 hook to match it before he ever cast, while everyone else threw streamers. Observation before action.”
- Joe’s origin story, told at every rock-flipping station
PRACTICE THIS
Five Minutes. Today.
THE 5-MINUTE DRILL
This week, flip three rocks in any stream (gently, and put each one back). For every bug you find, name it by shape: tails or no tails? gills on the belly? a case? Sketch one on paper - drawing it locks in the ID. Bonus: count the tails. Three tails plus belly gills says mayfly almost every time.
Send This to Someone Who Needs It
Every tip page is free to share - post it, text it, print it for your troop or class. It all links back into the free Stream School.
GO DEEPER
The Bug Hunt Is Week 6 of Minnow School
Bug hunting, observation, and a first fish worth celebrating - the capstone of the Minnow School foundation weeks.