Fly Focus - Page 3 of 4

The Daddy Long Legs (Crane Fly)

Over 300 different species of cranefly populate all kinds of water. They are more commonly known as 'daddy-long-legs'. but are classified as part of the Tipulidae biological family. Over 10000 species of Crane Fly have been discovered, making Tipulidae the largest family of the order Diptera. The daddy-long-legs or crane fly to use its biological name, consists of over 250 different species.

They are of interest to trout from June onwards when they are blown onto the water or washed from trees/bushes during when raining. Once on the water, they tend to struggle such that they attract the attention of trout from some distance.

Game anglers have used daddy-long-leg for quite some time and are referenced in 'The Complete Angler' using the original name of 'Harry-Long-Legs'. When fishing the daddy-long-legs on the surface, wait until the trout turns on the fly before striking, as it may simply be trying to drown it before eating it.

The Daddy Longlegs Fly hatches throughout the trout fishing season but reaches the natural peak of its hatch during late summer.