If you are in the habit, as I am, of reading the
fly fishing classics, youâll have noticed that for
many years the eastern dry fly season was considered to
have reached its climax with the hatches of the Ephemeridae in general and the green drake in
particular. These are the largest mayflies to hatch on
eastern rivers. On the Housatonic, these insects begin
appearing around the final week of May.
At the risk of sounding ribald, let me suggest that
there is nothing so close to an orgy as a late May
evening on the Housatonic. Added to the big mayflies are
caddis of every conceivable variety, march browns,
sulphurs and stoneflies, big and small, all hatching and
laying eggs in the magic hours between sunset and
darkness. There is so much insect life, and so many fish
rising to meet it, that the fly fisher can reach the
point of exhaustion trying to keep up with it. When it is
over things suddenly quiet down for a spell, and all you
can do is take a deep breath, relax and, if you go in for
that sort of thing, enjoy one of Haroldâs fine
cigars. Then get on with fishing as usual.
The term "mayfly" was originally coined by the British
to describe the large yellow upwinged flies (Ephemera
danica) that hatch in the yearâs fifth month.
Here in America we apply it to all species of the order.
Our summer drakes are of the same genus as the English
mayflies and include three species of interest to fly
fishers.
All of these Ephemeridae are large burrowing mayflies,
who use their tusks to tunnel into the substrate and
breathe through luxuriant, wavy gills. They are strong
swimmers that dart to the surface before hatching but
momentarily linger after removing their nymphal shucks.
Adults of the genus Ephemera have three tails and
dark maroon splotchy markings on their wings (Two
additional genera, Hexagenia and Litobrancha, the largest of the American mayflies,
are from the same family but are generally confined to
stillwaters, at least here in the northeast. They have
only two tails, and no wing markings).
The largest and most heralded of the Ephemeras, guttulata, is known as the green drake, and its
pale bodied spinner is the "coffin fly." Once prolific on
the Housatonic, industrial pollution decimated its
numbers here as elsewhere, and the population has been
slow to recover. Some heavy hatches can be found on
tributaries and smaller rivers in the area that were
spared from the careless excesses of the manufacturing
age.
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A
brown drake female dun from the upper
TMA |
The next in size is the brown drake, Ephemera
simulans. It is the one species of the three that
spans the entire North American continent. Healthy
populations of this big bug can be found in the siltier
reaches of the Housatonic. If you walk along the
shoreline and look under the leaves of the overhanging
trees you will see them by the hundreds, molting and
waiting for evening and the chance to mate.
The smallest of the three, and the last to appear, is
the Yellow Drake, Ephemera varia. This species is
less important on the Housatonic than on rivers further
north. Perhaps because of their smaller size they are
better able to survive the less fertile waters of central
and northern New England.
Hatches of the summer drakes are spread throughout the
day, and may never reach enough density for the fish to
pay much attention. Small streams, where fish can ill
afford to be choosy, are the exception. The spinner falls
are nothing short of spectacular. When it is nearly dark,
look up at the treetops and you will see the clouds of
swarming males. The females enter the swarm and then,
once fertilized, drop down to the riverâs surface to
lay their eggs. The spent males fall as they die, and
many land on the river. When the numbers reach a critical
mass, the big fish come up to feed.
Thomas Ames Jr. is a commercial photographer and
author of Hatch Guide to New England
Streams.Signed copies of the book are available at
HRO. Tom lives in Norwich, Vermont and makes several
visits to the Housatonic each year.
