Almanac for 2026 · No. 10 · Autumn, October

Curamenti

A slow almanac of the fly rod

The hatch chart · Stonefly

Needle fly

Leuctra fusca

Fig. A stonefly (Plecoptera): wings folded flat along the back, two short tails.
Natural’s size
Hook 16–18
Time of day
Mild autumn afternoons
At its peak
September, October
Fly to try
Partridge & Orange, size 16

The year

  1. JJanuary: not expected
  2. FFebruary: not expected
  3. MMarch: not expected
  4. AApril: not expected
  5. MMay: not expected
  6. JJune: not expected
  7. JJuly: not expected
  8. AAugust: some about
  9. SSeptember: main hatch
  10. OOctober: main hatch
  11. NNovember: not expected
  12. DDecember: not expected

In the hand

The thinnest of the stoneflies: a dark brown fly 6–9 mm long whose wings wrap tightly round the body, so that at rest it looks like a short dark needle. Runs quickly over stones.

On the river

Abundant on stony rivers in September and October. Grayling in particular take the egg-laying females; a tiny dark spider fished upstream is the traditional answer.

Flies that match it

Partridge & Orange

Wet · hook 12–16

Snipe & Purple

Wet · hook 14–18