by Alan E. Hoover (with thanks to all who have taught him)

In early spring in Virginia's freestone streams, the food supply is normally not abundant enough to encourage trout to chase creatures about the river. Trout especially are not inclined to rise to the occasional insect on the surface. At these times the trout hunts near the bottom, feeding on the varied supply of insect nymphs. For more successful fishing use the time honored GoldRibbed Hare's Ear (GRHE) nymph, weighted, in sizes 1 6, 1 4, 1 2, and I 0. Prior to the emergence of the first adult flies the nymphs are always active. This includes nymphs of flies about to hatch, and those of many other fly species which will hatch on late,- dates. I prefer to fish a size 12 GRHE upstream with a dead drift on a relatively long and fine leader, which keeps the fly line from spooking the fish. I use a small strike indicator. One needs to cast and drift the fly in a manner that gets the nymph all the way to the stream bottom. Nymphing in this fashion is one of the most effective approaches to the preseason hatch puzzle.

As spring warms, however, there will be wonderful moments when a hatch is on, and the trout fixate on a specific insect species. And these glorious times of spring bring truth to the dreams of winter. The below discussion is aimed at helping you "match the hatch" in early spring.

As the stream temperatures reach 49 degrees in the third or fourth week in March, one will begin to see hatches. Among these in Virginia's freestone streams are two important mayflies, Epeorus Pieuralis and Paraleptophlebia adoptiva (Latin names are used to assure clarity of identification). Actually there are many first cousins to P. adoptiva, but the imitations needed are identical and the differences among the naturals are of minor importance. There is one stonefly of importance as well, Taeniopteryx nivalis.

Knowing the specific habits and characteristics of these three flies is essential to successful presentation. Each will be discussed separately.

The E. Pieuralis nymph is about IO mm long and is well imitated by a GRHE in sizes 14 or 12. The natural is a clinger found under rocks and has a distinctly flattened body shape. Fairly positive identification can be made if the nymph has only two tails (most all others have three). One may wish to add this feature to the nymph by flattening the underbody lead wraps and picking some dubbing from the fly sides. The picking provides a good imitation of the healthy gill structure of the nymph. In addition, the picked hairs add 'life' and underwater movement to the fly, which is always a good feature.

E. Pleuralis has an unusual hatching habit, in that it sheds it nymphal shuck under water while attached to a rock. Then the emerger lets go and drifts with its slate gray wings still folded along the body as it makes its way to the surface. During this emergence, the dark Mallard Quill wet fly or a Lead-Winged Coachman wet fly are preferred imitations. When the hatch first begins, these wet flies are more effective in taking fish than the dry flies because the emerging natural is available to the trout longer, and it floats along in a relatively helpless manner. . -an easy target. As soon as it reaches the surface, it breaks the film and is ready to fly away. Fish the wet fly imitation upstream, let it pass you by and drift a while, then finally complete the presentation with a Leisenring lift to accurately imitate what happens to the real fly. It's during the lift that many strikes occur as the trout have focused on this emergence-imitating tactic as an identifier. When you see rises with bubbles, which are a positive indication the trout are breaking the surface film and taking the duns, switch to the Quill Gordon classic dry fly, using short, drag-free, dead drifts over sighted fish. Some anglers like to use a no-hackle version of the imitation instead of a classic pattern.

P. adoptiva is a small fellow of only 6 - 8 mm in length. A size 16 nymph is a good imitation. This nymph is rather cylindrical arici a sprawler with relatively weak legs (vs. the stronger clinger E Pleuraiis). The fly has a less pronounced gill structure than the E. Pieuralis, and I like to imitate it with a 'cleaner' fly. A Pheasant Tail nymph in size 16 or maybe 18 is recommended. A SlateWinged Mahogany Dun is the correct dry imitation, but I wouldn't bother with it. I have found the hatch of this fly is uncertain and not typically heavy. The hatch is on again, off again, and does not tend to entice many trout to rise to the surface. I think one of the reasons this hatch is hard to fish is that the main hatch covers only a few days of early spring, and the angler is, therefore, more likely to be on the stream when the hatch is waxing or waning.

I fish the Pheasant Tail nymphs in side eddies and protected pockets or frothy swirls below the larger rocks where these nymphs congregate. Remember, this is a rather weak nymph and seeks a bit more quiet water. The emergers rise quickly and then spend a long time getting airborne, compared to the E. Pleuralis. Recall that E. Pleuralis is better prepared when it gets to the surface, having gotten rid of the shuck earlier. An alternative is to fish a properly sized brown wet fly across and down, swinging it through likely water. If you do see surface activity, rather than use a dry fly, use a nymph tied on a dry fly hook designed to float in the film. This is the form trout more often attack because they know the little critter is likely to be there a while. Nothing is more disconcerting to a trout than to have an insect fly away just before it's inhaled. The body of the floating nymph should be light brown to tan in color. I like tightly wrapped rabbit fur as a dubbing as it traps air and helps the nymph to float, even when a bit wet.

T. nivalis is about 10 - 12 mm long and is commonly called the Early Brown Stone Fly. Like most stone flies it crawls to the edge of the stream or a rock, sheds its shuck, then flies off. Thus the emerger is not normally available to the trout. However, you will see the adults on the surface as they return to lay eggs the next day. The imitation on a size 14 dry fly hook is easy to tie and is known by the common name. Darker nymphs or brown wet flies are normally the best imitation. If you see flashes of trout in mid- depth or activity near the surface, use a drowned dry fly or a wet fly with a swinging presentation.

Flies discussed above include the Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear (GRHE), classic Quill Gordon dry f ly, Mallard Quill wet fly, Slate or LeadWinged Coachman wet fly, Pheasant Tail nymph, brown floating nymph, Slate-Winged Mahogany Dun, and the Early Brown Stone Fly. I will discuss the three hatches and interactively guide the tying of as many imitations as time permits on the afternoon of Saturday, March 9, and the evening of Tuesday, March 1 2, at Angler's Lab Outfitters

HTML © Virginia's Fisheries Updated:March 21, 1996.

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