The Caddisfly used in the sport of Fishing
The caddisfly has been an essential part of any good fisherman's tackle box for years, especially in fly fishing and especially in Oregon! Known so well to the sport there is even a tackle shop located in Eugene, OR that bears it's name. One of the reasons why the caddisfly is used in fishing over other flies such as mayflies is that it's an instar. This allows an extra stage of development during the larval stage and a longer period to be used as live bait. Although they're in this stage longer they quickly develop into adults, inhibiting fish species like trout to eat them. This makes them an especially tasteful treat when fly fished in the appropriate manner. Trout primarily feast on the larvae however adult caddis will live several weeks and typically inhabit environments close to the water source. Another benefit to fish species that prey on caddisflies is that the female adult caddis lays her eggs either by dipping her abdomen in the water or swimming to the bottom to deposit her eggs. By doing this the caddisfly allows vulnerability to fish predators in every stage of life.
Fisherman over the years have learned to frequent areas where there is a entomological increase, especially during the Spring. Caddisfly larvae will lie dormant in the winter months where very little growth occurs. When favorable conditions occur as they do in Spring there is an influx of growth and the fish respond in correlation. Inherently if conditions occur that cause the caddisfly to develop slowly the fish respond in the same manner. Therefore it's extremely important for a skilled fisherman to understand to some degree climate changes and entomology. To fisherman that create their own fly fishing lures and even to companies, creating a successful lure is key. Not only does this mean getting colors correct but even the degrees to which the wings are affixed. In different situations of growth, or feeding by fish, this could make or break a catch, although not typically to this extent.