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Mayfly
We are creating profiles for the natural flies that are relevant to fly fishing and the fly fisherman, if there are any flies that you wish to have listed here please send details to andy@ukfishersonline.com
MayFly - Ephemeroptera
The Mayflies belong to the order Ephemeroptera (which refers to the short life span of the adult). They have been placed into an ancient group of insects termed the Paleoptera, (Dragonflies are also a member of this group).
Worldwide there are approximately 2,500 different species of Mayfly.
Mayflies begin life as eggs deposited in streams or ponds. Once hatched the nymphs, which have gills, feed on water plants and weed.
Mayfly Nymph - Larval Stage
Mayflies are aquatic insects of which the immature stage and the most important stage to the fly fisherman is called the mayfly nymph. The mayfly nymph usually lasts about 1 year before emerging as an adult mayfly.
Mayflies are one of the most important groups of bottom-dwelling insects in many streams and rivers the world over. They can also be found in ponds and shallow lakes.
Mayfly nymphs play a very important role in the food chain of the freshwater rivers and lakes which they colonise and are an invaluable indicator that the watercourse they inhabit is in good health.
Imitation
The fly fisherman can exploit the trout's greediness when the mayfly nymphs are hatching into adults, the trout can become so pre-occupied with them that they can take them almost to the exclusion of all other food items.
There are many good imitations of the Mayfly nymph with some subtle changes in form and colour, my favoured one is pictured here and has accounted for many many trout when the Mayfly is hatching (and some when they are not).
A definite must for all fly fisherman to have in their fly box.
Mayfly - Adult Stage
The adult Mayfly are very short-lived, with anything from a few hours as free flying adult Mayflies to possibly a few days depending on the particular species.
It is soft bodied and a very graceful insect, which can be seen flying over rivers and ponds sometimes in massive numbers creating a cloud of thousands. With four lacewings, and a long tri-forked tail that trails behind it during flight.
After they leave the water and they have shed their skins twice, they are then fully mature adults. Once they become adults they do not eat and their prime goal now is mating and reproduction.
They are normally seen in the spring but some years may produce a second hatching in late autumn.
Imitation
It is worth noting that the adults and spent flies will often be taken by the trout, making an imitation of which there are many, important to the fly fisherman.
When fishing rivers, the imitation of the adult Mayfly must not have any drag imparted to it from your fly line, therefore correct "mending" of the line is very important when fishing this fly to realise its full potential.