CRAVEN’S MR. JONES

AN ADULT CRANEFLY THAT SKIPS, SKATES, AND HOPS

CHARLIE CRAVEN

ADULT CRANEFLIES HAVE HAUNTED ME FOR A LONG TIME. I RECALL AN EARLY MORNING ON COLORADO’S SOUTH PLATTE IN CHEESMAN CANYON DECADES AGO, WHEN I SAW MY FIRST CONFIRMED ADULT CRANEFLY SKATING ACROSS THE SURFACE OF THE WATER, DOING ITS BEST TO MAKE IT FROM ONE BANK TO THE OTHER. IT WASN’T THE CRANEFLY ITSELF THAT HELD MY ATTENTION, IT WAS THE MULTIPLE TROUT THAT CHASED AND SLASHED AT IT TRYING TO END ITS TRIP PREMATURELY. THE SPEED AND VIOLENCE OF THE ATTACKS SET ME OFF ON A SEARCH FOR A FLY THAT WOULD MIMIC THIS COLOSSAL MIDGE AND ITS ALMOST DAINTY WAY OF HOPPING, SKIPPING, AND SKATING ACROSS THE WATER. Being a young guy at the time, I of course went digging through books (that’s what we old guys used…

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Fly Fisherman (Digital) - 1 Issue, June/July 2024

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