Understanding the relative strength of top-down (predation) and bottom-up (nutrient enrichment) effects on aquatic food webs is important for predicting how aquatic ecosystem functions, such as trophic support for terrestrial consumers, will respond to anthropogenic changes. We conducted an in situ field experiment to test the effects of aquatic ecosystem productivity and predator composition on the flux and composition of emergent aquatic insects from a subtropical wetland. Using 1-m2 cages embedded in natural sediments we quantified microbial food quality and emergence under natural fish densities (‘open’ cages) and fishless densities (‘closed’ cages with consistent removals of fish throughout the study) crossed with phosphorus (P) additions creating unenriched/enriched conditions (n = 4 cages per treatment). Emergence rates of insects were measured bi-weekly for two months (n = 4 sampling events). Periphyton edibility (% of microbial mat palatable to consumers) was greater in P-enriched cages (67%) compared to unenriched cages (43%). The emerging insect assemblage was numerically dominated by Chironomidae (72%) and Ceratopogonidae (25%) with low emergence rates of odonates (Coenagrionidae and Libellulidae). Preliminary results suggest that Ceratopogonidae emergence was greater in P-enriched cages (P < 0.05) but was unaffected by fish (P = 0.74). Chironomidae emergence was affected by the interaction of the two factors (P < 0.01) such that nutrient enrichment significantly increased emergence in fish cages but not in fishless cages. Our preliminary results suggest that small fish predators and nutrient enrichment have differing and sometimes interactive effects on the flux of aquatic insects.