Once on the surface the newly emerged Mayflies will either remain in the waters current or attach itself to a partially submerged limb or rock in order to then separate themselves from their skins or shucks - or more appropriately called exoskeleton, spread their wings, pump fluid into the veins causing the wing to strengthen in order to support flight. The Mayfly will float on the surface of the water, like little sailboats, with its newly inflated wings acting as sails being dried and blown around by the wind. This surface activity can last for only a few seconds to only a few minutes. Once the wings are dry enough and strong enough the insect will take flight. After taking flight, the sub-imago usually rests on the shoreline vegetation for 1 or 2 hours or 1 or 2 days depending on the species, while gradually going through the last molt and transforming from sub-imago into adult (imago or spinner).

This adult Mayfly has no functioning mouth and therefore can't eat, and now you know why they, "live but a day." These Mayflies can emerge like this by the thousands and is an experience that will be remembered by any angler encountering it for the first time. These mass emergent patterns are the Mayflies main defense against its natural predators, among them being fish and birds. They will hatch in such great numbers, condensed in both time and location, that the before mentioned predators are unable to rally their troops for a mass consumption.

This hatching process is natures why of a guaranteed survival rates that will allow the species to thrive. After this transformation, the adult will still take one day to three weeks to become sexually mature. The sexually mature adult male spinner will mass in swarms over the waters surface. The characteristics and timing of the nuptial flight or mating swarm will vary from species to species. Once the selection and the mating activities have occurred the male will shortly die and the female will wait for low light conditions before depositing her eggs, then she too will die and fall to the surface of the water only to be consumed by a waiting fish. The dead or dying adults will then lie on the waters surface with wings spread and, at that point, is referred to as 'spent' spinners.

Most Mayflies have one or two generations per year but can range from a couple to weeks to a few years. This whole process completes the lifecycle of egg (ovum), nymphal (larval), dun (sub-imago) and finally the sexually mature adult spinner (imago).

In order to identify this aquatic insect, you start at the upright wings. If you look closely the wing will resemble a stained glass window. Among other characteristics, the wings veins or venations are used to classify these insects. The other real important characteristic of the wing is its appearance. Are the wings clear and shiny or slightly discolored or opaque? The shiny wings will indicate that the insect is getting ready to lay its eggs and the slightly discolored or opaque wings will indicate that the insect has just hatched. This insect will usually lay its eggs during the low light conditions of dusk or a dark overcast day.

Since our quarry will consume nearly 85% of its nutritional needs below the waters surface, then it only seems proper that we should have a working knowledge of this all important food source.

Now, let's assume that you have decided to dive head first into the more technical aspects of the sport. This subject is called Entomology and to be more specific, Aquatic Entomology. You will quickly find that there is no shortage of reading material or videos covering this subject matter. The study of aquatic insects can drive a person into buying a can of worms.

Imitations, When, What and Where

The basic problem is the trout is a master of survival in an otherwise cool, shallow, fast moving and ultimately hostile environment. The fish's basic survival is directly attributed to its' ability to find an area that provides the four necessities of life; comfort, food, proper habitat and shelter. When the fish start to feed on aquatic insects, they will almost always become selective to the most prevalent species. They will intentionally ignore anything that doesn't imitate the same size, shape, color and action of the most prevalent emerging species. The angler's observations will dictate the required pattern. During the various emergences, the need for different imitations to duplicate the size, shape, color and required action is demanded in order to be consistently successful.

The advanced or expert angler will also react to the fish's feeding behaviors that may shift from the sub-surface nymph to the surfaced, struggling dun or to the egg laying or spent spinner. This is the key to the entire problem of what to use and when to use it.

Let's look at the source of all these imitations that are required for our fly box. Almost all of the Entomology books that I've read or seen, concentrate their efforts on insects found in the West and Mid-Western rivers plus the more famous Eastern streams. In fact, they are known for including European species that are not even in this country. There is some mention of Northern New England aquatic mayflies but sadly I found them all too short and many times all too inaccurate. That is not to say that all these mayflies weren't important, because they certainly are but only to those that frequent those particular waters. I was eager to learn all about the aquatics of my home waters here in Maine.

I started quite some time ago attempting to solve the riddle of what should the average fly angler carry in his/her fly box that would help during any circumstance occurring on any body of water in our home state. Yes, I know it's a tall order but like most problems, the answer was considerably easier that the question. If you've heard any of my lectures or attended any of my classes then you know that I like to keep things real simple and easy to understand.

I started the process just like everyone else and that was to read everything that I could on the subject, watched endless videos and talked to those who were much wiser than I and wanted to share their precious knowledge. I also utilized information received from professional entomologists, numerous authors, university entomology department heads, professional associations, Iowa State Entomology Index, University of Maine Entomology Department, The Smithsonian Entomology Department, The Federation Of Fly Fishers, University of Illinois Department of Entomology, Trout Unlimited and every angler I ever met on any body of water.

At first glance, the problem seemed rather formidable. Just go to the L.L. Bean, the Kittery Trading Post and any local Tackle Shop and check out all the fly cases and see the hundreds and hundreds of patterns that have been tied to imitate your favorite natural. Then take a look at the variety of books dedicated to your favorite aquatic insect and you will find hundreds and hundreds of imitations there too. In fact, the largest percentage of imitations sold and listed in pattern books are actually imitations of insects not even found in our northern New England area let alone our state waters.

Remember that we have over 500 species of Mayfly and that's impressive, but we only need to know about the ones that exist in our home waters and would be the predominate species at any given time. Thanks to a lot of work done by a lot of other people; I feel very strongly that this number can be safely reduced to a little more than a dozen imitations. How this occurred is by the process of elimination.

The key to understanding which fly to use, is solved by your own observations to figure out which food source interests the fish at any given time or place. This can be accomplished in any of four different ways. First, the angler can catch a fish and determine the fish's diet from the stomach contents, the most prevalent food source just prior to the catch. The second technique would be to catch the very same thing that the fish was catching and try to match that food item with an imitation from your fly box. Third, you could take a seine net and obtain an accurate sample of all the biological drift and determine the most prevalent food source from the samples in the net.

Last but certainly not least, is the ability of the angler to use nature as the guide to understanding the environment and obtain the various clues to determining the best possible choice. This done by careful observations made as you approach the water. Be alert to any insect activity at or high above the water. Check for bird activity that may be a sign of prominent insect activity. Check the streamside vegetation and the rocks on the edge of the water. Take the water temperature and use a seine net or pull some smaller rocks and boulders to see what's crawling or clinging to there undersides.

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