So, what do we have here?

[bear 007]

I've been hitting the quills lately but I ran into these guys tonight, any ideas

I put on a light hendrickson and did pretty good.

I finally got into this old guy, it was allot of fun on my 3wt.

 

[noreaster]

Awesome fish.

Not exactly sure of the specifics, but its a mayfly of sorts. Someone here will know more for sure.

 

[mcnerney]

I "think" it is Hendrickson (Ephemerella "X").

 

[yonder]

That second photo would make a great magazine cover!!! Very nice!!!

 

[Ard]

How large were the May flies?

If those were big (like size 12 big) I'm thinking some sub genus of the March Brown. I never went too far into the full identification thing, but when we had flies like that in a size 12 I knew them as the March Brown. When they were the same size but with the darker body and wing they were known as the Grey Fox.

Or.............Larry is right

 

[bear 007]

If those were big

They where almost a 12, Usually the Hendrickson hatch has come and gone by now (two weeks or so) and I thought the march browns where darker? It could be that I've got the two mixed up, I never could keep my bugs straight.

 

[Ard]

Boy, I don't know Tim............the size sounds about right and I've seen them in various tone of color. At any rate, rather than worry over the species I would be dubbing up some body's about that color and winging them with light bronze mallard flank.

Then I'd go fishing

 

[webrx]

That's what I do Ard, I was never very good at figuring out what type of bug it really was, especially not by the Latin name. I would just open my fly box and see what I had that looked close to what I saw, if there wasn't anything there, then I would tie some up before the next trip. Failing that, I used and adams or an EHC.

Dave

 

[stenacron]

My best guess is Ephemerella invaria (female), one of about 4 or 5 eastern mayflies commonly known as Sulphurs... time is right for them. Best hatch of the year in my old neck of the woods (SE PA).

If you tie, Google Tups Indispensable and swing it under the hatch if you have trouble getting them to take your floating dun imitation.

Beautiful brookie pic's by the way. I agree with yonder, that second pic is magazine worthy. :thumbsup:

 

[Rip Tide]

It would be very early for sulfurs in northeast Maine.
From a report that I read just this morning, they're still fishing Hendricksons in the Moosehead/Kennebec region

 

[dhayden]

Great picture of that dun!

 

[stenacron]

It would be very early for sulfurs in northeast Maine.
From a report that I read just this morning, they're still fishing Hendricksons in the Moosehead/Kennebec region

Yeah, I agree completely. Truly the tough thing to consider in a photograph is color... back-lighting, dialing up intensity (editing), can change things dramatically.

We can safely agree that the fly pictured is definitely Ephemerella... after that, subvaria (Hendrickson) and invaria (Sulphur) are very close. The wild card here is E. rotunda, which "officially" no longer exists, despite being a full hook size bigger (than invaria) with yellow wing masts and olive highlights in the thorax. Anyway, E. rotunda and E. invaria are now classified as the same insect (E. invaria).

For what it's worth, they continued to be separate to me since they are so physically different. The rotunda's would kick off the "sulphur hatch" in SEPA right around last week in April (give/take a week or two) hatching just after lunch. Invaria's were 2 weeks after and E. dorothea another 2 weeks later (again, rough estimates and variable from year-to-year).

I guess for me the overall yellow appearance pushed me towards sulphurs.

 

[bear 007]

the tough thing to consider in a photograph is color... back-lighting, dialing up intensity (editing), can change things dramatically

The colors here are very close to the insects, I did edit, but mostly just cropping and sharpening. Like Ard and webrx said I'll just match the hatch whatever it is, thanks for the info guys.

 

[Rip Tide]

Yeah, I agree completely. Truly the tough thing to consider in a photograph is color... back-lighting, dialing up intensity (editing), can change things dramatically.

We can safely agree that the fly pictured is definitely Ephemerella... after that, subvaria (Hendrickson) and invaria (Sulphur) are very close. The wild card here is E. rotunda, which "officially" no longer exists, despite being a full hook size bigger (than invaria) with yellow wing masts and olive highlights in the thorax. Anyway, E. rotunda and E. invaria are now classified as the same insect (E. invaria).

For what it's worth, they continued to be separate to me since they are so physically different. The rotunda's would kick off the "sulphur hatch" in SEPA right around last week in April (give/take a week or two) hatching just after lunch. Invaria's were 2 weeks after and E. dorothea another 2 weeks later (again, rough estimates and variable from year-to-year).

I guess for me the overall yellow appearance pushed me towards sulphurs.

I'm pretty sure that it's a female Hendrickson, but Tim said that he thought the hatch should have been over 2 weeks ago and I wasn't about to argue with him.
it's a very cool picture though. :thumbsup:

 

[silvertip8k]

yellowish green mayfly...thats not of the level of prowess of others here...but I would fish any yellow/olive adult I had tied in my can...I would call it a sulphur...but one of our more astute colleagues said that might not be it due to timimg...but you know maybe it was point man on a scouting mission???

outstanding pics...all around very well shared experience...the bugs are the hardest thing for me to get...hats off...the one handed camera pics are not easy either...I actually lost an old canon that way a few years back...taught me a big lesson...the factory said something like I should get a housing???LOL...

look forward to your next post...ted

 

[Liphookedau]

Hi bear.
As mentioned The second Pic is a Real Cracker from your results you have a Fly which they liked.
Even though I've caught Brookies they weren't as big as those beauties.
Brian

 

[stenacron]

For those that thought that 2nd pic of the brookie was magazine worthy... it is!