Trout and whitefish are opportunists, feeding on anything that falls into the water, especially terrestrial insects in summer.
A few models to use as soon as the weather is fine
Terrestrial insects are numerous and come out as soon as the first rays of spring sunshine appear. Anglers often wait until summer to use terrestrial imitations, but this is a mistake. In wooded rivers, beetles, diptera and other insects such as megaloptera can be found in the water, to the delight of trout and whitefish. Having a few imitations in your boxes will enable you to catch trout, chub and wels catfish when hatches become scarce.
Beetles of various sizes and colors are a must, but don't forget gnats, bees and any other insects that might fall into the water.
The stomach contents of trout are surprising in terms of both the diversity of prey and their size! We can find tiny insects like midges in sizes 20 to 24, but also large insects like crickets, small fish, but sometimes quite large in relation to the size of the fish caught. Or even large slugs, frogs or even mice!
Grasshopper fishing
Fishing with grasshopper and cricket imitations is becoming increasingly popular on our French rivers, even if it has been slow to catch on, unlike the Americans and South Americans who have been using them for a very long time to fish the edges of their rivers.
It's a fishery that can be enjoyed over a few weeks and is not to be missed. It's a very active and explosive fishery that brings a lot of excitement! Trout are well positioned, and know exactly when these insects are going to be on the water, especially on windy days. They'll jump on it without a second thought!
Many orthopteran imitation models are available from retailers and independent assemblers. Think about it!
Winged ants at the height of summer
When the weather is hot and stormy, flying ants swarm out to colonize new anthills. They can sometimes be very large, and are of great interest to trout, who love them! At this time of year, you should always have some in your boxes, because if you're at the water's edge when this happens, the trout focus on them and become very selective. It seems that the taste or protein content of ants is appreciated by many species of fish. I've seen mullets feasting on them on numerous occasions in estuarine areas.
It's even possible to fish for 1-2 days after the fallout, as trout love to eat it and remember the big hatch that took place a few hours/days before.
