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MANY, MANY MAYFLIES

© Louis Bignami

Mayflies seem among the most prolific aquatic insects in most moving and still waters. Their most notable characteristic are their "sailboat" wings that skip them across the water in any breeze. Nymphs have three tails with gills along the rear of the body. Their habitat is mostly mud to fine bottom material. So their habitat doesn't conflict with that of stoneflies.

Since mayflies hatch all year by floating or swimming up to the surface, there are always mayflies available to trout and other smaller fish. Although their sizes are small, their numbers during a hatch can be great enough to interest big trout. However, for most of the year Pheasant Tail and the traditional Hare's Ear nymph suit. Where water's deeper or you need faster sink rates, you might consider bead head models.

In off color water the Flash Back Dark Olive replaces the wing case with light mylar which offers more attraction and may replicate the look of the bubbles some species use to ascend to the surface.

Some mayflies, like Cailiaetis --"Baetis" for short -- inhabit lakes and ponds. These tend to be a bit darker in many areas so there's both a Cailibaetis made with gray muskrat fur and a Cailibaetis Emerger that has a bit of Evansote® foam in its wing case. This fly floats just below the surface film and looks like the most helpless stage of the hatching nymph so it's often the food of choice for many trout during heavy hatches. Another Baetis nymph lives in moving water and the traditional Hare's Ear patterns suit this. The adult form of the Baetis is the Blue Wing and other Olives.

However, the most common Mayfly dry fly, and perhaps the most effective all-round dry, is the Adams. Its gray body with brown and grizzly hackles looks like a host of mays common nationwide. Variations perform specific functions. The Parachute Adams has a white calf tail post -- my buddy Lou Bignami ties his with hot pink -- that improves visibility. The Adams Emerger works like the above-mentioned Cailibaetis Emerger. The Adams Irrestible uses a deer hair body to improve flotation.

Color variations may be needed in some cases. Pale Morning Duns, Light Cahills and Parachute Light Cahills find favor. Female Adams, with a yellow or other colored egg sack seem particularly useful on rivers like California's Truckee. However, in most cases a size 14 or 16 Adams gets the job done most of the time in most waters.

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