There are only a handful of insects that cause a stir like the Mayfly (Ephemera Danica). Both anglers and fish tend to go ‘potty’ when the mayfly fishing starts, it’s a food source that trout can never turn down. Although much loved by fish, when this large insect first appears, it has the ability to terrify fish before they realise that the mayfly is the ultimate meal.
The mayfly as a nymph inhabits the slower moving sections of rivers and lakes, burying it’self in the silt that resides on the bottom. They wait until the temperatures rise and are consistent throughout the day to take the chance and dart to the surface – it is at this point that they become a favourite for trout. Once they start to hatch, it doesn’t take long until almost every fish in the river can go into a feeding frenzy, often brining the larger fish out to play.
Mayfly Fishing
When fishing with mayflies, trout tend to ignore the thickness of your tippet, but that doesn’t mean you should fish 10lb breaking strain! Fish with a fine tippet, 5lb is usually enough if the river is relatively weed free. Delicate presentation isn’t at all necessary during the main part of the hatch, but there does seem to be one issue they cannot overlook and that is the fact a mayfly has big wings. When I am selecting and tying my imitations I make sure that the wings are closely represented.
When on the river and surrounded by mayfly, there are three patterns that I make sure I have in my fly box, these are:
The Mohican May is an extended body imitation, the ideal fly for perfectly matching the hatch. The foam body allows it to float extremely well, especially once it’s caught a few fish where other materials would become water logged.
Fulling Mill Olive Mohican Mayfly
Often when Mayfly fishing the fish can become preoccupied on certain parts of the hatch. This is when the mayfly will be at different colours, the ‘older’ flies tend to be darker, a great opportunity to change the colour of your fly!
The CDC Mayfly Dun is part of the Fulling Mill tactical range, tied on a barbless hook and featuring all the key characteristics to an adult mayfly. A great pattern for fishing in slow water in the afternoon and into the evening before the spinner fall.
The joy about the Mayfly is they are hatching now so it’s time to tackle up and get out on the water!
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