Mayflies is an insect that trout will eat, and mayflies are responsible for much of the trout rises that occur in the streams across North America. Mayflies has a specific life cycle that mayflies go through, and understanding the mayfly life cycle will help you to catch trout more effectivly. The mayfly life cycle begin with the laying of the eggs, which sink to the gravel at the bottom of the stream channel.
When the eggs lands on the gravel, they will hatch and become nymph. These nymphs live in the water for an extended period and go through many molt until they reach the dun stage. The dun stage of a mayfly include wings that are dull and upright.
Mayfly Life Stages and How to Fish Them
At this life stage, the mayfly must dry its wing on the surface of the water. Once the mayfly has dried its wings, it will molt again to become a spinner. A spinner is a mayfly that has sleek, glassy wing and represents the last stage of the mayfly life cycle before the mayfly die.
Mayflies can be fished for each of these different stage by using specific fly patterns. Depending on the life cycle of the mayfly that you are targeting, mayflies will go through different stages of development that require specific fly patterns to mimic those mayfly stages. One of the factor to consider when determining the mayfly life cycle is the water temperature.
Water temperature is more important than the time of year when it come to mayflies hatching. Each species of mayfly will require a specific water temperature to hatch. For example, blue winged olives require a water temperature of 40°F, and they are active on overcast days.
Tricos will require warmer water temperatures between 60 and 70°F and will be active in the mornings. Depending on the latitude and the elevation of the water where the mayflies live, the mayfly hatch at one location may occur at a different time of year then another mayfly hatch at a different location. To account for this, anglers can use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the water to determine which life cycle stage of mayflies is active in the water that trout are inhabiting.
The behavior and habitats of mayfly nymphs also plays a role in how anglers should fish for mayflies. For instance, mayfly nymphs can be swimmer species that live in open water column, or they can be clinger species that remain against rocks in areas with fast moving water. Additionally, some mayfly nymphs are crawlers that live in the run of rivers and streams with moderate moving water, while other mayfly nymphs are burrowers that live in the silt along the bottoms of rivers and streams.
Each of these different types of mayfly nymphs live in different habitat within rivers and streams, so anglers must use different types of mayfly nymph imitations depending on the specific type of nymph and the habitat in which that mayfly nymph lives. The different types of mayflies in the latter stage of their lives also have different appearances that require different type of fishing patterns. For instance, dun mayflies have matte wings that stand in an upright position while they are on the water surface, but spinners have wings that lie flat and are transparent on the water’s surface.
Additionally, anglers can fish duns with parachute or comparadun flies, but spinners have spent-wing patterns to mimic their appearance. Mayflies also have different activity rate during the day; while many mayfly emergences occur in the morning, others emerge during the afternoon or evening. By watching the angle of the sun and the temperature of the water, anglers can determine during what portion of the day mayflies will be most active; this can inform mayfly fishing decision.
To be successful in fishing for mayflies with trout, anglers should use the correct type of mayfly patterns for each life stage of the mayfly. For instance, anglers can use pheasant tail mayflies during the nymph stage of the mayfly’s life cycle, CDC patterns during the mayfly’s emergence period, and rusty patterns for the spinner stage. Anglers can also increase their chance of success by monitoring local report of mayfly activity, and by noting the elevation of the streams where they will fish; the elevation affect when mayflies emerge from their life stages.
If anglers spot mayfly shucks on rocks or mayflies emerging from the water, they will be able to determine which life stage of the mayfly to target. By using the appropriate type of mayfly imitation for each life stage, anglers will increase their chances of successfully catch trout that are pursuing these mayflies.