How to Fish a Skwala Hatch

Skwalas are the first big bugs of the season, and they draw large trout to the surface.
Photo: Joe Cummings

Spring is a time of change: The snow has begun to melt, flowers are starting to bloom, and everything from the trees, to the animals, to the very air itself seems touched with a gossamer of anticipation. For fly fishers, spring is the time to put away all our winter nymphing gear and start searching the surface of the water for the first ripples of feeding trout. For Western anglers, no other insect exemplifies this commencement of dry-fly season better than the Skwala.

Skwala stoneflies (genus Skwala) are found all over the American West and are often the first hatch of big-bodied flies of the year. Depending on their location, these large insects begin to emerge anywhere between late February and early May, crawling onto the bank and spreading their wings as soon as water temperatures reach 40 degrees. Skwalas are big bugs that hungry trout will pounce on after a long winter of eating midges and other small insects. However, to capitalize on this early-spring bounty, you’ve got to be fishing with the right gear at the right times and locations.

Get the Right Gear

Unlike other large stonefly hatches, where you can tie a monstrous foam pattern on a heavy tippet and smack it down on the water, Skwala stoneflies often require more delicate presentations. After a long winter, trout are usually still sluggish, and aggressive presentations will likely spook the fish or at least turn them off from feeding. During the Skwala hatch, you’ve got to fish big flies like they’re small flies.

To do well during a Skwala hatch, stealth is required, as the trout are often extra wary.
Photo: Kubie Brown

Your standard 9-foot 5-weight rod will work fine, but choose a lighter leader and tippet, especially in low, clear water. Instead of z short, heavy 2X leader you might use for other stonefly hatches, such as salmonflies and golden stones, drop down to a longer, 4X or even 5X set up. This longer, lighter leader will help make your presentation look more natural, convincing finicky spring trout to inhale your drifting bug.

Carry a variety of styles and sizes of Skwala imitations to cover all the different water types you’ll be fishing. During the early part of the season, most of the bugs and most of the trout will be in slow inside seams, eddies, and the oozing tailouts of pools where the fish don’t have to work hard to fill their bellies. In this slower water, more realistic patterns—such as the Dancin’ Ricky, Skwala El Camino,  and the Rogue River Skwala—will be more productive. As water temperatures rise and start to tickle the mid-40’s, trout begin to push into faster, walking-speed water and will be less finicky. In this slightly quicker current, flies like the Olive Stone Skwala, Flush Floater Stone, and the Chubby Chernobyl are your best bets.

Time and Temperature

One of the most important things to keep in mind when fishing a Skwala hatch is that water temperature is essential. The bugs don’t hatch until the water temps gets into the low-40s, and the fishing usually doesn’t get good until the water is in the mid-40s. This often means that you won’t see much action until the sun is high in the sky and the water is warm enough to stir up some activity. But that doesn’t mean you’re wasting your time if you get to the river early.

Getting on the river early can help you discover the perfect spot to be when the bugs hit the water.
Photo: Sheree Baxter

Often, it’s a good idea to get on the water well before the Skwala hatch begins. This will give you plenty of time to find the most likely areas for the bugs to emerge and may even give you a chance to spot a trout or two beginning to stage for the coming hatch. Start your Skwala hunt by looking for slow-moving water, between 18 and 24-inches deep, along the banks of the river. Search for shucks along rocks and even for the insects themselves. Unlike other stoneflies, Skwalas rarely fly, so look for them crawling along rocks and skittering across the shallows. Once you spot a good patch of bugs, stake it out and wait for the water temps to climb and for the fish to rise.

Soft Casts and Long Drifts

While you may have some luck-blind casting Skwala imitations along the edges of the river, it’s often a better idea to pick out rising trout and work them individually. Again, the fish can be skittish this time of year, and you’ll often spook them with too much random casting and drifting. Instead, treat the Skwala hatch as if you’re fishing with small mayflies on a spring creek: move upstream of good rising or cruising trout and then fish down to it with a stealthy, dead-drift presentation.

Skwalas don’t crash onto the water like wounded birds the way other stoneflies do. Instead, they land delicately and sedately, creating a small set of ripples as they lay their eggs. As such, your casts should be soft and your flies should land gently, making just enough splash to get a trout’s attention. Once your fly is on the water, make as long a drift as possible, giving the trout plenty of time to move in, look at, and eat your fly. The best way to do this is by stack mending.

To stack mend, make your initial cast and mend, and as then the fly begins to drift downstream, pull a few feet of slack off your reel. Begin to make additional upstream mends repeatedly, dropping a foot or two of excess line into each mend. Ideally, stack mending will extend your drift without disturbing your fly, but even if your fly twitches a bit as you mend, it’s nothing to worry about as these small movements will often trigger hesitant trout into striking.

On many Western rivers, the Skwala hatch is the best chance to catch a big trout on a dry fly in the early season.
Photo: Kubie Brown

Shaking off The Cobwebs

After a long, cold, gray winter, casting Skwala patterns to rising trout is like a sudden, bright flash of color exploding in front of your eyes. It makes you feel like a burden has finally been lifted. For Skwalas are the first signs of a river coming back to life, reminding you that the fishing is only going to get better from here.