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I see them worm guys doing just fine especially in the closed areas.
All kidding aside, I agree with Phil on size. Sometimes it pays just to go to the river and observe activity on the water. Don't be so anxious to throw flies. You are trying to solve a puzzle. A hatch is not that difficult to spot. I like to cheat. Look for bird activity on the water. Birds over the water help to locate insects coming off the water. Normally these bugs are pretty small. I'll watch until I see fish on the surface around the areas birds are working. If you don't see birds, you are out of luck with this technique. Staying with the same theme, run a dropper as Phil has suggested behind a dry by about 18" or so. And use the dry as a visual indicator of where your dropper is on the water. Any fish around your dry is when you should set your hook. If anyone comes along, they will think that you are fishing dries and not emergers. 18's and 20's always worked for me with the scenario described. The tough part is patience. Don't walk close to the bank and locate feeding birds from a distance. Below the birds you will find finned predators subsurface as well. Locate the food source and you are in the cat bird's seat. It ain't dry fly fishing or dredging nymphs, but in the clutch, it helps keep the skunk off. The best part is when folks jump in your run and toss dry flies where you are and get rejections. They will ask what dry you are using. It doesn't hurt to tell them, but the dry is just an indicator and will only frustrate them more. Sometimes I add plenty of large split shot right about now and aim for their heads in hopes that they move on.
If you see a successful fisherman, drop the rod and your vest or day pack behind you and approach them unarmed, so to speak. You show that you are not trying to bogart their spot. Ask them how they located the fish, etc. They will in most cases share the knowledge. Don't be cocky in your approach. You'll be amazed how much information you can garner for next time you fish the river, unless they invite you to fish with them. This technique has worked 90% of the time for folks that I have suggested it to. Just don't walk up with rod in hand and cast right over the individual's shoulder, as this approach never accomplished anything except hostility and rage from the fellow angler(s).
Buy a seine or make one yourself one with screen door material and start collecting samples of the insects in the water column until you can predict without error what is occurring. Notice that I say water column, so do not kick up rocks and debris on the bottom as this sample will only tell you what is under rocks, etc. You want to know what is floating along helplessly in the current as the food source. This sampling should give a pretty good idea what is happening subsurface for your specific time frame. Just imitate your sampling with size and shape and you are in the game.
Hope this helps.
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