All species of fish are opportunistic feeders, trout being no different in this respect. Trout will snatch up most any aquatic insect that washes down their feeding lane. However during a heavy insect hatch trout may become very selective, keying in on a specific stage of the insect form. So... how can we the fly-fishermen select a fly-pattern that best suites the trout in these situations?
First, we'll need to identify what the trout are eating. There are several ways to accomplish this. The first method I’ll mention almost always affects an argument among dry-fly fishermen. Well anyway here goes… “Wade in among the feeding trout to collect samples of the current hatch”. Yes I know, we will of course disturb the fish, but they’ll be feeding again in a short while. So now we’ve got just what we need to match a fly pattern to our current hatch, or so it would seem… In this case we have determined that#14 Brown Spinner matches almost perfectly… Than placed the offering in just the right spot time and time again, but still no takers. Now what? Could it be the trout are feeding on EMERGERS?
  The surest way to positively identify the hatch is to check the stomach contents of these feeding trout. However, there are other ways that are not quite so direct…such as, Study Hatch Charts of the region you plan to fish. The insects and general hatch patterns on most popular trout streams are well known.
Hatch charts in guidebooks or local fishing shops can give you some idea of when particular insects emerge, and help you pre-select good patterns before you leave.  Ask around locally. Hatches vary from stream to stream. In addition, hatch timing depends on the weather, and is just as unpredictable.
  The Internet offers an unlimited source of information, as long as you know what particular species of insect you’re looking for. I would suggest sampling the aquatic insect fauna on the streams & rivers you plan to fish, than match those insects to the (genus) family in which they belong. This will help you to build your hatch chart, understanding the metamorphoses to which any aquatic is family, is the key to understanding the stages of development, therefore allowing us to choose the correct pattern at that time of development.
The following are a few of the Internet sites that have helped me put together a hatch chart on some of my favorite streams and rivers…
[http://www.glsc.nbs.gov/science/research/insects.htm] A web based key plus species descriptions including information on distribution, life history, and ecological information on the 105 species of calanoid, cyclopoid, harpacticoid, and parasitic copepods of the Great Lakes should be available by the spring of 2002. 

Remember, these mid-western hatches are usually short-lived. Therefore, the quicker we “Match the Hatch”, the longer we can enjoy the rewards of our labors. It’s been my experience that we don't always have to match an exact imitation. With that said, there are four important criteria that must be met: color, shape, size and approximate type or gene of aquatic insect we are matching.

          If you see swarms of insects surfacing and rising off the water, there’s a very good chance trout are feeding on them. A hatch may go through several stages very rapidly. Nymph, rising Emergers, and dry fly sometimes occurs all in the same day for the same insect. Be sure to equip your arsenal of patterns with those, which allow you to fish above or below the surface, accordingly.
·       Collecting Samples
If there is no indication of a hatch, then I recommend sampling the aquatic fauna available on the stream or river you plan to fish, we can subsequently match the pattern to the most abundant aquatic insects in the system. Now sampling doesn't have to be a two person operation (but it does help) it's as simple as placing an small seine in the current, then just in front of the seine agitate the streambed to allow the aquatics to flow free in the current. You will want to repeat this procedure at several different spots with-in the stream to determine not only variety but also the most abundant aquatic insects with-in the system.
Turn over rocks. Many of the favorite trout foods such as caddis fly larvae and stonefly nymphs can be found clinging to the underside. Inspect weeds for aquatic insect larvae and scuds. And don't overlook other obvious clues, such as beetles dropping off overhanging brush or grasshoppers in the tall grasses. You can also bat the brushes or grass and see what flies off… remember even all this is not a guarantee that you will catch fish but it’s a good start. 

  It's the season...Yep big Chinook salmon are once again running our Great Lakes tributaries. This fall run actually started about a month ago but due to shallow water conditions the annual run never really gained momentum that is until the cold rains of late September magically filled the rivers with salmon and Steelhead. So get out there these runs are short lived…