Midge · Aquatic insect
Daddy Long Legs
Tipula paludosa
Size
15–25mm
Hook size
#12–10
Hatch window
Season August–OctoberPeak time All day
Water temperature
14° peak
8°22°
Hatches from 8°C, peaking at 14°C, tailing off by 22°C.How fish feed on it
The adult midge matters far less than the pupa did, which is worth knowing before you spend an evening on it. Once it's up and dry it mostly leaves, and trout that were hard on ascending pupae an hour earlier will ignore the finished article. The exception is the egg-layers coming back to the water, and the spent ones lying in the surface film afterwards — both worth a look when fish are sipping in flat calm and nothing else explains it.
Flies that imitate this
Daddy Long Legs
Crane Fly
Foam Daddy
Ecology
Where you'll find this
- British IslesCommon
- IberiaOccasional
- The AlpsOccasional
- ScandinaviaOccasional
- Continental EuropeOccasional
- Atlantic fringeOccasional
Common Occasional
Identification
Tipula paludosa is a species of true craneflies.