The BIG Flies Of Spring

 

Fishing in rainy conditions may make fisherman seem crazy to the great mass of unimaginative people, but then few fishermen care what they think.”

— John Gierach

Hendrickson/Quill Gordon Wet

We are closing in on the first of the major mayfly hatches of the season ( we are not talking about frenchies or rainbow warriors or gottchas but REAL insects). The first two of the major hatches, especially by size are the Quill Gordons and the Hendricksons.  First off, they are very similar in size and color and that is why they get mixed up.  The Quill Gordons come first and the Hendricksons come right after.  Both have the same color scheme except the QG's are a bit smaller (size 14/16) and have only TWO tails while the Hendricksons are a bit larger (size 14) and have THREE tails.  Both have the grey smokey colored wings. Old time body recipes called for a hendrickson body that was pinkish (urine stained belly fur of a vixen fox was the choice material- good luck with that!) color which will vary depending on the river.  Go with light brown fur or floss.  It works and it's easier!  Also remember that the QG emergers from the stream bottom WITHOUT a nymph shuck and flies away quickly. Hendricksons emerge and then dry off on the surface before they fly to the bushes.

QG and Hendrickson Wet

Tail - None

Body - brown uniflex floss

Thorax - natural rabbit

Hackle - blue dun hen

Note: Because of the style of emergence QG wet flies work REALLY well.

                                                         Hendrickson Emerger

 A mayfly, in this case a Hendrickson, is a beautiful and dainty creature as it rides down the stream   drying its sailboat wings but if you happen upon  this insect as it's    trying to bust out of it's nymphal shuck and break through the surface tension you would see something less dainty and more akin to a human trying to exit a mummy sleeping bag. The insect is stuck in this position until it escapes the exoskeleton prison or is eaten by a trout. This is the most vulnerable stage in a mayfly's life and accounts for most of the "rises" that we see on a stream. It calls for an emerger pattern that will penetrate the surface  with it's head and developing wing but still have most of the body below or in the surface film.

As you can see I've pretty much abandoned the "dun" stage of the insect.

Hook - size 14 dry fly

Body - brown uni-flex floss

Wing - short, fine deer hair tied facing forward   like  an emerging wing.

Thorax - rabbit fur

The Attack On Red Brook

Many of you know the story of this spring creek (a rarity around here) that flows into Buttermilk Bay and is one of the few remaining sea run brook trout rivers in New England.  It has been "attacked" before but TU and the Trustees of Reservations saved it and made it a public treasure.  Well, it's "attacked" again by a development project that appears to have everything from a golf course, a mall and a lot of uppity housing.  And it's a bit sneaky the way that it's being done because they don't want to develop the Red Brook Reservation BUT the land that contains the aquifer from where the water comes from. A large development could greatly effect this stream or maybe even dry it up!

TU and people in Wareham are drawing a line in the sand on this project and they need our help.  Just google up "Waders for Wareham" and you will find it.

I did a quick search on this project and it appears that TU maybe going this alone. Other environmental groups should be throwing in support to stop this project.  The Trustees of Reservations, American Rivers, Clean Water Action, the Audubon Society and the like should team up with TU and the concerned citizens of Wareham before it's too late.

Ken