Loop Wing Crane fly emerger a mid season meal Part 1
The crane fly is in the order Diptera, which, as we know, is the same order as midges. So basically it's a supersized midge. These leggy monsters develop from a larval tube that resembles a sea cucumber. It's shucking stage occurs in marshy wet areas such as mudflats, backwaters, and shallow river edges. The fly pattern in this entry imitates the crane fly breaking free of its pupa tied on a #12 Hanak 300 BL using a loop wing configuration.
These Jurassic critters are breaking free from their pupa in this stage and often get stuck in the surface film when drifting in seams, edges, and slower drifts on the surface. Crane flies are often tied as subsurface pupas but not as emergers, which I have experimented with quite a bit over the last few years. Rises to these morsels are often violent, and during the months of June and July, I have found them to be quite effective as search patterns between hatches. Trout hit these emergers without prejudice, and the Hanak 300 BL is a hook I have gained a lot of confidence in over the years.
