Bug Talk: Baetis

There’s a guy on my stream with the license plate “BAETIS”

I recommend everyone view this tutorial a dozen times! It’s power-packed with valid information we could all benefit from… thank you CC! Excellent job!

Charlie, this is a good as it gets. I am indebted to your ability to teach, and your knowledge base. You are a great credit to the sport, and a legend, a reputation well earned.

Sitting here in the Rain 🌧️ in NW Michigan ……. This was the Single Best Master Class I’ve witnessed on this vital topic! So appreciate Your help and insight Charlie 🎉 This type of work, along with Your Tutorials ….. is why You are “ KING 👑 CRAVEN !!!! “ 🌟 🎣 💫

You can produce as many of these topics as you wish! Excellent!

Like old guys hanging out in the shop :-) thanks for our lesson for today very informative.

A few additional points. 1) Many Baetis species have either 2 or 3 hatches in a given year (multibroods) and each later hatch is typically smaller than the ones that occur earlier in the year. 2) Acentrellas are another genus in the Baetidae family that can be an important "BWO" hatch. 3) There are around 22 or so mayflies in the Baetis genus and the most important are B brunneicolor (E MW W), B flavistriga (E MW W but best in MW) B intercalaris (E MW W - best in East and not super common in the West) and B tricaudatus (E MW W). 4) Most Baetis dun bodies change color quickly after they hatch off the water, typically getting darker after time. 5) Many benthic macroinvertebrates molt as nymphs (phases called instars). After each molt, the nymphs will appear white/cream colored and then they darken to their typical coloration in short order. 6) The smaller the flies, the more important not having sunny hot days are to the hatch as that would dry out their wings and kill them (if it is hot out and not humid, look for earlier or later hatches (and if the water gets to 68ºF please stop fishing and move to colder water as that gets hard on the fish) 7) a personal observation - Baetis often hatch from riffles as that water helps them break surface tension (also by crawling to the surface on some substrate). 8) I cannot overstate how beneficial cloudy overcast days can be for many Baetis hatches. ~ cheers and well done! ps my favorite "dry" set up is a Klinkhammer (without without shuck trailer) followed by some pheasant tail variation, RS2 or WD 40.

Thank-you for taking your time to explain about these hatches, how to fish for these special little creatures. I understand more than ever, it is time for me to start turning rocks over in each stream Your presentation was over the top for me

We need more of this for other species ,please thanks

Thanks for this a better understanding of why your molefly has been a game changer for me !

Thanks for sharing your approach to a Baetis day on the river …very helpful …appreciate it

Imagine if someone wrote a book about all of this that people could reference! Good video Charlie!

Well done presentation. Thanks.

As a nymph they have a habit of rising towards the surface and then descending again, this can happen a hour or two before actually emerging. That is why a nymph works well fished midwater prior to the hatch. Nymphs are very small so a size sixteen is as big as you want to go. As a guide I don’t fish with smaller because on my river the fish are large and smaller hooks can break to easily

Great job, as always. Thanks.

This was great! As a new Fly Fisherman, we can't have enough of this basic information. Thanks so much and also for the rigging example. Much appreciated!

Great informative vid Charlie. TIMMMAAH!

Named our first Lab, Baetis. At the time, we travelled to MT every April from ME to fish the BWO hatch. 😁

Another great video full of information, thanks for sharing your knowledge and skill with us.

Really great video Charlie tks 😊

Extremely helpful, thank you.

The fly fishing community is very lucky to have ya! Not sure if anyone could of touched on the subject any better.

Great video, thanks

Great video keep it up!

Nicely explained ☕️☕️

“I’m not an anthropologist” - Charlie Craven I know you meant entomologist but I lol’d

Charlie's Baetis Crash Course Graduate School , thank you.

Amazing info, and you make it very clear. Thoughts on soft hackles? Seems to me that they'd cover a lot of the life cycle if you swing them right... But I'm just a part time fisherman with a full time job problem. Any input would be great. Thanks Charlie...

Dang dude

When I started fly fishing in the 80’s I was told Baetis is a nymph. Blue wing olive is a dry fly.

Really enjoyed thanks

the Colorado below Powell is barren of baetis, among other things.