Helgamites

[DLNDr]

Does anyone know where to find these or how to catch them? They work great for perch on DL this time of year, but finding them is next to impossible. We're having a huge dragonfly hatch right now, so I was wondering if anyone knew how or where to catch them.

Thanks.....

[davef]

Under stones in the shallow riffles. put a minnow net below with a helper. start turning over the rocks but look on the bottoms of each rock. a lot of times they will stay with the rock. they do pinch but not enough to cause real pain

[MD]

DLNdr,

No question Helgramite's are on the top of the Perches dining diet. I've spent many hours after the Dragonfly Larva. I found that they prefer ponds, ditches and streams with a lot of vegetation (commonly called weeds). What we did was make a rectangular frame out of 2"x2" treated lumber about 30" long by 18" wide. We then stapled screening to the frame. You locate ponds with weeds, throw on the waders and dip your screen into the weeds and pull up. You will find the Hellgy's clinging to the weeds. Carry a extra small pail to put your catch in. Then we used to put a dozen or two into margarine (tub) containers with paper towels and store in the fridge. They can be frozen but will get a little mushy after they are thawed and allow the Perch to suck the tail out before you can set the hook. Live ones are the best. Good luck and I'll take some of those fresh Perch fillets anytime !!

M.D.

[DLNDr]

M.D. Is there a certain time of the year that's better? Right now we have a lot of dragon flies around. Is it too late? Any idea?

Thanks for the great info......

[MD]

DL,

I'm not a "bug-oligist" or whatever they call the people that study them. However around here anyway even after you are seeing the Dragonflies that have molted you will still find their larva in different stages yet in the weeds. In Wisconsin we could still dip in September yet , even after having the flies out since late June early July. Prior to the major hatches is probably better but I'll bet you can still find them...Give er a shot. Don't forget to keep cold beverages in the vehicle. Pulling your legs thru pond muck congers up a powerful thirst !

[unlogged davef]

Helgramites are larve of the dobson fly not dragonflies. I have always gotten them in the riffles but perhaps your right about weeds also. A dobson fly is bigger than most dragonflies and have large pincher type antnenna at their fronts. they look nothing like a dragonfly.

[Hollis UL]

Davef is correct,..hellgamites become Dobsonflys. You can do a google or yahoo search and use the "IMAGES" function of search (surprising how many people have never used this feature) and pretty sure you will find a pic.
How we used to get them is using two guys,.. get two dowels and staple window screening to it,..about 3' wide. In riffley water one guy turns over rocks, and the other is down stream a few feet,..the Hellgramites get kicked up and when they hit the screen they grab onto it,..you then just pick em off,..the ones here CAN give you a pretty good pinch so grab them right behind the collar,..which is the best place IMO to hook them,..some people clip their back tail legs off cause they can grab a rock and quickly crawl under it. There is something about them like no other bait, in these parts small mouth bass go crazy for them. I have never found a bait that can catch as many so consistantly as these bugs,.not hardware of any type, soft baits, crayfish,worms or anything else (might be you have to have Dobsonflys in/near your lake. For trout and stream smallmouths NOTHING is better in this region! I have kept them alive for nearly a year (until I ran out) in a covered pail in my cool cellar some old leaves and the bottom inch wet. A few holes in the top for a bit of air. I think they take 2 years to turn into flys...thats what I remember anyway,..very cool temps like in a refer will slow down this but below feezing and they will die. On a hook they are tough,..if you are careful one can last a long time. I swear they must make some type of noise that fish can hear. I have cast them on a pool in a stream purposely away from a sighted fish and have seen a smallmouth or trout make a wake from quite a distance getting to it. A crayfish, most flies , spinner or a worm never seems to get them that excited.

[unlogged davef]

If i could type I would have said the exact same things. My best experience with them was keeping them in a refrigerator in the basement and some how they got loose and my wife found a couple in some damp clothes laying in the basement. She wasn't real happy when she got pinched. I live near the juniata river in pa. and haven't used them for many years but they are a great bait. I have only ever seen 2 adults and to be they look vicious. dave

[Chuckles]

The looks are deceiving for the adult dobson fly. The males have the pinchers and they are mostly for show with the mating ritual. The only downfall is that these are becoming less and less common and I would caution folks to harvest them conservatively - just as we would to protect fish populations. Realistically the same thing goes for harvesting dragonfly larvae as some of them can take up to three years to develop as well. Everything is connected... Chuckles

[unlogged davef]

the last adult i saw was a couple of years ago in the evening when it landed in the boat. my buddy was about ready to try and swat it when i explained to him they were harmless. he left it go and it flew away. awesome critters though in both the adult and larva stage.

[DLNDr]

Since I first posted this I've done a little more "research" and field work. While everyone refers to the bugs I was looking for as helgamites, they are really dragon fly nymphs. I also found that these are found in grassy flooded areas. With this info, I went out searching. Besides getting my atv completely buried and needing to be pulled out, I finally hit the jackpot and found them. I found them in a ditch with some grass growing in the water (we have a LOT of water in the DL area). So, with these bugs in hand, I went out perch fishing on Devils Lake on Saturday. The wind was blowing pretty hard and the bite was extremely light with made things tough. Did manage to get 12 nice perch. All were from 10-12 inches long. The hottest bait was the dragonfly nymphs. Also caught a few on waxies, but the nymph were the ticket. So....... Thanks for all your help guys !!!!