Damselflies and dragonflies belong to the insect order Odonata, and they deserve a prominent place in the fly box of anyone who fishes still waters in the Pacific Northwest.
These familiar insects have four long, narrow, finely netted, membranous wings and because of superficial simplarities - and their rapid flight - it is not uncommon for people to misidentify the species. Frequently you will hear people refer to damselflies as dragonflies. It’s imperitive that fly fishermen know them apart - because the trout sure do.
Adult damselflies are smaller, and slimmer than adult dragonflies. Adult dragonflies hold their wings flat, apart from one another, and away from the body. Damselflies hold their wings together either parallel with the abdomen, or slightly uptilted above the abdomen.
In dragonflies, the hind wings are larger than the fore wings and are of a somewhat different shape. But the most striking characteristic is the fact that the wings are extended horizontally when at rest. So if the insect settles to a landing with its wings held like the wings of a small plane, it’s a dragonfly. If the wings are folded - it’s a damselfly.
Both damsels and dragons are most commonly found around ponds, swamps, lakes and other freshwater habitats. The brightly coloured adults can be seen flying quickly and erratically in search of mosquitoes, blackflies, and other insects to eat. The nymphs are less visible, because they are busy crawling underwater in search of aquatic insects, freshwater shrimp, and even small fish. As a general rule, dragonfly nymphs are larger and more robust than the slimmer, smaller damselfly nymphs. Damselfly nymphs have distinctive plate-like gills at the end of their abdomen. Dragonfly nymphs lack these large gills.
The Odonata life cycle is of the 'incomplete' type - egg, larvae or nymph, and adult. The eggs are laid in water. They hatch into nymphs which can take up to three years to fully develop to maturity. Then the nymphs crawl to the surface, shed their skin and emerge as fully grown insects, complete with silvery new wings. Depending on species, adults live for a few weeks to several months. After mating takes place the female lays her eggs, and the cycle is once again repeated.
Odonata have been quite well collected throughout British Columbia. Damselfly species found in the Central coast area include Spreadwinged Damselflies and Narrowwinged Damselflies. Dragonflies species found in the Central coast include Darners or Blue Darners, Clubtails, Green-eyed Skimmers or Bog Skimmers, Whitefaced Skimmers, Common Skimmers and Red Skimmers.
Here are some detailed descriptions:
Damsels
1. Family Lestidae - Spreadwinged damselflies.
Adult spreadwinged damselflies are slender, blue or green. Adults are 60 - 75 mm (2 1/2 to 3 inches) long. Most species have a one year life cycle, with time of peak emergence June through to mid-September.
The nymphs come in shades of green or brown, and have long gills with rounded ends rather than the leaflike gills of the narrow-winged damselflies. Most commonly found stalking prey amongst underwater vegetation.
2. Family Coenagriidae - Narrow-winged damselflies. The adults come in shades of blue, red, yellow, green, and brown. They grow to be 25-50 mm (1”-2 ") long. Most species have a one year life cycle. Time of peak emergence for adults is May 1 to mid-August. The larvae come in shades of
green or brown.
Dragons
1. Family Aeshnidae - Darners
Darners are the largest dragonflies; adults are up to 120 mm (4.5 " long). Most adults come in shades of brilliant blue or green, a few are brown. Their compound eyes meet on the top of their heads. Peak emergence for adults is June 1 to August 31. The nymphs are relatively streamlined compared to other dragonfly families and come in shades of brown or green.
2. Family Gomphidae - Clubtails
Typically found in slow moving streams. The adults have separated compound eyes which do not touch on top, and they have sprawling legs. Body color for most species are yellow, brown or black. Length of adults is from 25-75 mm (1-3 inches). The group has a long emergence period from April through to late September. Compared with other kinds of dragonflies the Clubtail nymphs are more robust, and they have wedge-shaped heads and thick, 4-segmented antennae. Usual coloration is brownish to drab green. They often burrow into bottom debris, covering themselves with a thin layer of material, waiting for prey to pounce on.
3. Family Corduliidae - Green-eyed Skimmers
Green-eyed skimmers are medium sized dragonflies, 35-75 mm (1.5 -3.0 ") long, and have a distinctive lobe on the hind margin of each compound eye. They have bright green eyes and body coloration ranges from metallic black to brown and yellow.
4. Family Libellulidae - Common Skimmers
Common Skimmers are brightly colored dragonflies which grow to 65 mm (2.5"). Wings of these dragonflies often have spots or bands. They come in a variety of colors, red, blue, green and black. The eyes do not meet at the top of head. Peak period of emergence is from June 1 to late September. The nymphs are camouflouged in shades of brown and green. They are not as streamlined as the aeshnids and not as robust as the gomphid dragonfly nymphs. Hunting resembles that of the gomphids, with the nymphs nestling into the silty substrate, and then waiting for prey to come within pouncing distance.
Flyfishing Tips:
Few anglers bother fishing adult imitations of dragonflies or damselflies, preferring to concentrate on fishing nymph imitations. There are many lifelike patterns tied, which include eyes, legs and gill filaments. Some more general, but still useful imitations for dragonfly nymphs include Woolly worms, and Carey Specials tied in colors which imitate local fauna - usually dark brown or olive. It is important to match damsel and dragon imitiations to local vegetation, as the color of the insects will match the coloration the plants around them.
Retrieve the dragonfly nymphs in short strips as this best imitates their unique, darting swimming style. Damselfly imitations need to be tied more sparsely, and many patterns include marabou to better imitate the side-to-side wiggle action of a swimming nymph. Unlike the jerky retrieve recommended for the dragonfly nymph imitations; the retrieve for a damselfly nymph pattern is a very slow and steady. Some fishermen waggle the tip of their rod back and forth as they retrieve to try and give the nymph a lifelike swimming motion.
Damsels and dragons have hatches, just like other insects. If you stay alert, you may see them swimming towards shore, where they will climb up on vegetation to shuck their skins. Bullrushes and other weeds that extend above the surface attract the insects, as do the wooden legs on wharves and it’s worth checking there while you’re fishing to see what stage the hatch is at. By watching damsels and dragons in the water, you will get a better sense of how they move, and you can modify your retrieve accordingly.
Remember, both damsels and dragons swim towards shore when they are migrating in their final nymphal stage. So if you encounter a migration, and are anchored off a weed bed, casting towards and retrieving back out to deep water, you are doing exactly the reverse of what the real insects are doing. Get in close to the shore, cast out and retrieve into the shallows. Sometimes trout will rush in at the last moment, afraid that your insect imitation is about to crawl up on land, and fly away.
