The North Carolina hatch chart will help you identify the most popular aquatic and terrestrial insects that inhabit rivers and streams throughout the state—including hatch dates, emergence timing, recommend fly patterns and sizes. This chart is not all inclusive. For a more detailed list of hatches, you’ll want to review hatch charts for the specific river you’ll be fishing. However, the following chart covers the majority of the hatches you’ll encounter when fly fishing North Carolina rivers and backcountry waterways.
North Carolina fly hatch chart including hatch dates, emergence times, fly sizes and patterns.
| Hatch | Size | Dates | Emergence | Patterns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midges | 18–24 | January-December | Afternoons warm days | Black, Gray, Olive, and Cream Midge, Griffith‘s Gnat, Renegade |
| Blue Winged Olive | 18 | October-March | Early afternoon warm days | Blue Winged Olive, Adams |
| Early Black Stone Fly | 18 | October-March | All day | Black Stone Fly Adult, Black Elk Hair Caddis |
| Blue Quill | 16–18 | Late March-Early April | Morning to early afternoon | Blue Quill, Adams |
| Quill Gordan | 12–14 | Late March-Early April | Early afternoon | Quill Gordon, Adams |
| Hendrickson | 14 | April | All day | Hendrickson, Red Quill |
| March Brown | 12 | Mid April-May | All day | March Brown, Adams |
| Giant Stone Fly | 12 | Mid April-Early May | Early morning | Stimulator |
| Black Caddis | 14–16 | Mid-April-Early May | Mid morning | Dark Elk Hair Caddis, Dark Thunderhead |
| Mottled Brown Caddis | 4–8 | April-June | All day | Elk Hair Caddis, Thunderhead, Irresistible Adams |
| Light Cahill | 14–18 | May-September | Afternoon to evening | Light Cahill |
| Sulphur | 14–18 | May-July | Late afternoon to evening | Sulphurs, Yellow Humpy, Yellow Hammer |
| Green Sedge | 14–16 | May-June | All day | Green Rock Worm, Light Elk Hair Caddis, Green Humpy |
| Dun Variant | 12 | June-Sept | All day | Adams |
| Yellow Stone Fly | 14–16 | June-July | Late afternoons | Yellow Sallie, Stimulator, Yellow Palmer, Tellico Nymph |
| Golden Stone Fly | 6–12 | July-August | Early morning and dusk | Stimulator |
| Terrestrials/Attractors | Various | June-September | All day | Black Ants, Inchworms, Beetles, Crickets, Royal Wulff, Royal Coachman |
