Matching the Hatch

[brittsnbirds]

While I was at BSP last weekend I noticed every afternoon at about 1500 there was a massive hatch. I tried and tried to match the hatch to no avail. Got with Eric at the store and he told me another fisherman was getting them to take a Pale Evening Dunn size 22/24. I bought a few and tried them the next afternoon. They continued to refuse what I presented. I think the size was still a little large. I was able to capture some of the little things and noticed they had 2 different body colors. One color was a little lighter than the Pale evening Dunn (yellow) and the other was a slight gray appearance.

I was using 7x leader and picked up a few dinks on a little 22 white unit I tie.

Any suggestions?

[motroutbum]

you can use a PMD (pale morning dun) immitation also. They are practically the same mayfly except for the fact that one hatches in the morning and one in the evening. The fish may have been refusing your flies because it might not have been presented right ie. the fly dragging in the current, or there may have been trash on your fly. Sometimes if the drift is not completely perfect, then the fish wont even look....other times you could swing them infront of the fish and skate them across the surface for really agressive strikes.

[troutchaser]

I've tried to tie #24 pmds, but I can't get my my 3/0 thread to start on the hook.

Seriously, I have tried to match that hatch and it's hard. I finally figured out my problem, I was using too much hackle. One turn and that's it.

The other thing is just what motroutbum said - watch the drag. Even a few inches of tippet downstream will make a wake. I finally stopped trying to drift it and started skating it. It's easy. just cast it slightly upstream, then use your index finger to tap the line back toward you - but be gentle. I use a one tap per second pattern to trigger strikes.

[brittsnbirds]

I stopped by Rainbow Fly shop today and picked up some 22 and 26 hooks.

I'm going to try and tie some up in PMD and evenings. I've also got some of the celery colored thread (Gaston's) and tie up a little of everything.

troutchaser, thanks for the suggestion it doesn't take much to bulk those little devils up.

I took a tip another guy suggested down at BSP use the opposite. He gave me a Hopper and tried it. Missed several strikes and hooked up on a decent one.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

[SilverMallard]

A size 22-26 mayfly? Something strikes me odd about that. Sounds to me like you are seeing those white MIDGES we get around here. I use a size 20 cream Adams or a Mosquito Midge in size 18-20 for those. Works pretty well if they're feeding on the surface. BUT MOST OF THE TIME, a light color soft hackle or emerger fished just below the film is the ticket. Fish feeding on emergers just below the surface still break the surface quite regularly. Give it a try. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. In fact, the first thing I would try if the tiny dries aren't working is a size 18-20 BH Zebra Midge in Primrose and Pearl suspended 12" to 18" below a palsa foam indicator on 6X fluorocarbon tippet. I'll almost guarantee you they will HAMMER that!

[Phil Lilley]

Saw some more mayflies Thursday afternoon on the water. Not a lot but the trout were nailing them. I didn't have my fly rod, only jigs and spinning gear.

They were the same bug- size and color.

[SilverMallard]

Well, they're hatching all the way up to the MDC boat ramp. They were pretty thick up there Monday. But there were also some smaller, lighter colored mayflies hatching. And the trout up there were keying on those and on the midges (as usual). I'm pretty sure they are March Browns. I don't know what the smaller light-colored ones are...some sort of Baetis. But my small gray Para Adams were working fine.