Friday Fly Day - True Cranefly

It's sure starting to feel like autumn here in the South, and speaking of autumn, here’s a fly I’m betting not many of you carry. As summer cools and cicada numbers decline, this is a pattern that doesn’t often miss. The Cranefly, or common daddy longlegs is a late season favourite in a few areas I fish and offers an autumn alternative to the mayfly hatches on our lowland streams when you just feel like heading upcountry.

Manic Fly Collection True Cranefly

We played with a couple of patterns before settling on the true fly version for our Manic Fly Collection, preferring the low riding foam and messy tangle of legs that the True Cranefly presents. Fish it on a longer leader to rising fish on backwaters, ponds or in the pools, or lay it out along the edges and see what comes up.

So following the next decent frost, get up into them hills and give the True Cranefly a crack.